May 13th, 2026
It's not exactly the most original opinion that people are sick of the current state of the internet. I'm not the only person to try and minimize use of modern tech because I hate the direction it's all going in.
Over the past year, and especially this year, I've been abandoning some of the modern tech and services that I've used for years. I deleted my Twitter and Reddit accounts a few months ago, and I've never felt the urge to go back. It felt...freeing. Now, I still do spend a lot of time on tumblr, but baby steps are better than always doing giant steps, yeah?
I've also been buying a lot more DVDs and CDs lately. I've never stopped buying physical media, but I think it's more important than ever now. I also rip my media to my laptop, so that I will still have both a physical and digital copy. Learning how to use software like Exact Audio Copy or MakeMKV was one of the best things I've done. I like to use Kodi to watch my backups.
I've never really used music streaming services, so using an iPod is something I've always done. I use my iPod for music when I'm out and about (or I just don't have my laptop), and I use MusicBee to listen to my library on my computer.
I've felt more peace since I cut off some apps and websites I used to use. Boundaries are good. In fact, I've got a boundary ready for tumblr the moment they ask me for my ID to verify my age: I'm just going to delete my blog. I'll finish up my archive with tumblr-utils and then I'll deactivate my account and leave. We don't HAVE to put up with what companies are doing. We can just...stop using their products. Yes, some things are going to be harder to not use, especially if they're used for a job, but it's more important to make any efforts we can than to not make any.
Continuing to thrift and find older tech to use in my life reminds me of this blog post from rnotte, that discusses how the old stuff IS sometimes better, and that we shouldn't throw away older things if they still serve a purpose. I have an old Canon Powershoot digital camera that I used when I was a kid, and it still works wonderfully! Sure, it might be a teensy bit fuzzy, being a camera from 2008, but I can still take some damn good photos with it. I don't NEED 4K Ultra HD graphics for things. I am perfectly content with 480p for my video games, and 720p/1080p for my movies/tv shows. I grew up with the Wii and N64. I don't need my video games to be shiny. I don't need to see every pore of the human skin in a photograph.
Don't buy the newest phones if yours still works. I had a Pixel 5 that I got from my dad from 2022 to this year, when I finally upgraded to a Pixel 8 (and even then, I'm having screen problems with that phone! Kind of fitting for my complaints about how shitty modern tech is). I used that phone for almost 4 years without needing a new one. Now, think about people who buy the latest iPhone every year, when the previous iPhone could have still had at least 5 years left in it! I'm so sick of how we waste expensive technology, especially here in the US where I live.
Now, to close this off, let's try to be better together. Don't do it because you feel an obligation to. Do it because you want to. Do it because it could make you happier. Convenience is nice, but inconvenience is also good.
All the best, Nikki
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