Leaving Google has actively improved my life
4 hours ago
- #Tech Independence
- #Digital Privacy
- #Alternative Services
- The author left Google due to dissatisfaction with AI integration in search and Gmail.
- Switching from Gmail to Proton improved email hygiene and reduced reliance on algorithms.
- Alternative search engines like Brave and DuckDuckGo offer better experiences than Google.
- Leaving Google has made internet searching more intentional and enjoyable.
- The author acknowledges the difficulty of completely avoiding big tech, citing YouTube as an exception.
- Google's dominance is attributed to default settings and dark patterns, not user choice.
- The author advocates for paying for online services to avoid being the product of ad-based models.
- There's a noted social stigma around leaving mainstream tech, but many share dissatisfaction with big tech.
- YouTube remains a challenge due to its monopoly and network effects, though alternatives are emerging.