10 Reasons to Drop Big Tech

1. Big Tech Is Too Big

Here is a quick overview of some key markets that Big Tech has a stranglehold on:

2. Big Tech Is Too American

I am not anti-American. I was born in America. Most of my relatives live in the US. I am happy to have spent the first half of my life there.

But the dominance of American tech means that much of the world has become dependent on its products and services. While this is good for America (I guess?), it is a growing risk for the rest of the world.

Moreover, data privacy laws in the US lag behind those in the EU and other places in the world. It would be nice if the tech landscape was more evenly distributed from a geographical perspective.

3. Big Tech Kills Competition

Whether buying up promising startups or simply outspending them – it is very hard to compete with the Google’s and Microsoft’s of the world. Antitrust laws are meant to hinder this kind of situation, but the courts have been dragging their feet. We don’t have to wait for the courts to make a change.

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4. Big Tech Is Too Wealthy

Not because I think billionaires are automatically bad people, but because too much wealth is consolidated around just a handful of companies. That has consequences. It makes competition hard (see point 3), it gives them outsized political and social influence (see point 5) and ultimately helps them continue their dominance (see point 1).

5. Big Tech Has Too Much Influence

Political, ad control, search results, algorithms – society and culture are being shaped by these companies.
The flow of information has never been as centralized and consolidated as it is now. The infrastructure for 1984 Orwellian-level manipulation is here.

6. Big Tech Has Too Much Data

Data about us, our lives, our relationships, our weaknesses, our businesses, our secrets. Many of us (me included) gave up much of that information more-or-less willingly by choosing to use their (usually free) products. And any data that is stored and can be accessed, can potentially be hacked, stolen or demanded to be handed over. If recent political events have taught us anything, it’s that power can shift from one side to the other very quickly.

7. Big Tech Can’t Be Trusted

History shows that these companies can change their values at the drop of a hat – or the outcome of an election. From cozying up to authoritarian regimes, such as those in China and Russia, or dropping diversity policies overnight – the only values that seem to really matter at the end of the day are monetary.

8. Big Tech Wants Your Attention (& Money)

This isn’t a surprise – most companies have similar aims. What makes this point worth mentioning is that Big Tech designs the hardware and software we use throughout our day-to-day lives. They have a vested interest in keeping us glued to our phones, screens and devices. Numerous ex-employees have come out and exposed the psychological methods being used to manipulate our minds and emotions.

9. Less Big Tech Is More

Perhaps it is just my subjective experience, but studies seem to back it up. Touching grass and unplugging from our digital devices has been shown to lower blood pressure, decrease anxiety and bring world peace. Ok, I might have made one of those up, but I think we all recognize the benefits of limiting our screen time. This has become much easier for me since starting my degoogling journey.

10. Life With Small Tech Feels Right

By moving away from Big Tech and supporting companies whose values seem more closely aligned to my own, the cloud of negativity that tainted my tech has disappeared. My devices feel like tools again – tools that I control, rather than the other way around.

What About You?

What reason(s) motivated you to degoogle your life? I’d love to hear about it (see contact options below).