Do any of you ever feel the desire to go back to your “Google’d” existence? For some background, I have used Google for most of my life and have recently started following some privacy-oriented creators on YouTube. I created a Proton account and have started moving my stuff there but am still using a locked Pixel (will unlock when paid off).
It feels great to go with alternatives to Google (Proton, OpenStreetMap, OpenWeather) but there are definitely times when it feels burdensome. I am often tempted to sacrifice privacy for convenience and feel like there is no way to TRULY escape Google in my life.
Wasn’t sure if anyone felt the same way, or had any tips on following this privacy-focused lifecycle.
(I almost look at this like eating healthier–it feels great to do it, but seeing others in happy ignorance adds a challenge…)
It’s definitely a lengthy marathon and not a sprint. Google’s embedded itself into modern life intricately, but there was still a learning curve to get the most out of their services at first. Same goes for privacy focused alternatives, taking it slow and adjusting to one alt at a time should make the process easier to stay on course. For me, realizing how much Google makes selling data but never asks what user data is ok to sell or offering a small part of the profit to the user keeps me improving my online anonymity daily!
I’m just beginning my de-googling journey. However when I think about the potential loss of convenience this is what I tell myself: in exchange for convenience, particularly since the dawn of the smartphone era, we have lost a deeper understanding of how things work under the hood. And how much convenience have we really gained? I think it is more likely we have been led to believe our convenience has been increased when really the only convenience that matters is how convenient it is to advertise to us.
