My resolution for 2021 is to transition completely off of Facebook by the end of the year.
I don't normally do New Year's Resolutions because I am someone who puts personal growth as a top priority and puts it in practice on a daily basis. However, I mean to make a spectacle of this one, because the success of this resolution depends on the people around me.
Why am I doing this, you ask? I think you already know many of the reasons but have chosen denial to maintain your dependence on this platform. As have I - until this year anyway. I cannot face my denial any longer.
The first obvious reason to me is big tech has gotten too big. This has led big tech to abuse their power and market share to erode free market principles of fair competition in order to cement their position at the top. In addition, it has led to the erosion of net neutrality, which is free and democratic access to information for all.
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| In order for the game to end, we only need to stand up - art by Mear One |
The Case Against Big Tech
In November and December 2020 lawsuits were filed by various high-level organizations against the largest technology corporations - Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Google.
Microsoft was sued by a joint effort by Canadian provinces for fixing prices of their products, knowing their customers had no alternatives. Microsoft is quietly settling for up to $517 million, and any Canadian who has purchased a Microsoft product since 1998 date can actually apply to get some money back.
Google was sued by both USA state governments as well as the European Union for unfairly cornering the market for general internet search, plus advertising services. They did this in many ways, but primarily by paying browser providers to make Google their default search engine. They even pay Apple in the order of billions of dollars a year to make Google the default search on their Safari browser!
Amazon was also sued by the EU a few months ago for using data from vendors on its platform in order to make and price Amazon-branded products that would outcompete those vendors.
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| An excellent NPR podcast: The Case Against Facebook |
Finally that brings me to Facebook. FB was sued for antitrust by the Federal Trade Commission in collaboration with most USA states. Specifically, they acquired competitors to maintain market share in the social media space, through purchasing both Instagram ($1 billion) and WhatsApp ($19 billion!). The FTC hopes to force FB to divest both of these acquisitions.
Antitrust is a concept that has been around since the dawn and boom of corporations, specifically during the oil boom of the mid-1800's. Rockefeller began buying up oil producing competitors around him. Once he achieved a certain market share he began fixing prices in order to put his remaining competitors out of business so he could buy them out too. This sparked perhaps the first major antitrust lawsuit in history. But a lot has changed since then and, not only that, change is happening at exponential speed in the tech space - it's hard for regulating bodies to keep up. That's why it took so long for these lawsuits to come to fruition.
The lawsuit against FB may not make much of a difference to the everyday user, but one aspect of FB which has a massive impact is its abuse of power to monitor and censor content and messaging. Its censoring of information undermines a free and democratic internet for the people, and freedom to communicate without surveillance. All of this is hardly a secret - these issues are covered in the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma.
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| If you use social networks you should watch The Social Dilemma |
FB has dominated almost every arena of our virtual world. From its humble roots to connect friends and family, it has expanded its sphere of influence to become our event organizer, maps and even marketplace. We have come to depend heavily on it for our livelihood. So why does such a powerful tool that we now almost can't live without also spy on us and censor us?
Because it has no competition. Because it bought them out and, once it achieved market dominance, lost the incentive to innovate and serve their customers, FB users, before their own needs. If there was stronger competition in the social media space FB would be forced to innovate and treat its users more fairly, lest they find a viable alternative.
This may be a fair argument in some places but not all. Most people who know me know I do more than most people to lead with action for environmental change - after all, I have not taken an indoor shower in a year and a half! And have dumpster dived all my food for the past two months! - yet I don't know what I'd do in Canada without my car. It's my one privilege I choose to have.
And I'm sure people may accuse me of continuing to use Instagram and WhatsApp after leaving FB. Hopefully the FTC is successful in forcing FB to divest those companies. I started using WhatsApp specifically as an alternative to FB in the first place, and felt great disappointment about its acquisition. So it feels very unfair and difficult for me that I now have to find yet another new alternative and expect my friends to all come along with me.
The wheels of oppression make us so dependent on the system that we feel we have no alternatives, and uses hypocrisy to make us feel guilty for even considering finding alternatives to the system.
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| My profile on MeWe, the main alternative to FB |
The Alternatives
Well there are alternatives out there. I hope that I can convince as many friends and family to switch over to these alternatives before I cut myself free from the tentacles of FB.
MeWe is probably FB's biggest competitor. It values privacy above all else - your messaging is private and your data is not mined and sold to advertisers. MeWe's free version looks and has many of the same features as FB such as profiles, news feeds, groups, pages and events. It also comes with an app for messaging and browsing. You can upgrade to a few paid versions for greater functionality, such as having access to emojis or Slack-like workgroups. Since MeWe doesn't monetize your data, offering paid versions is the social network's only form of revenue. But even if you were to use it only for staying in contact with friends like me (here's my profile) you can easily stick with the free version.
Telegram is probably the most popular messenger app alternative. However, if you're looking for ultimate privacy, Signal is the best messenger app for this - it is used by activists to organize rallies. Even Elon Musk is recommending these apps! Both apps register your phone number, however, allow you to keep in touch with people all over the world. Please ask for my phone number if you would like to stay in touch through these apps!
For general search DuckDuckGo is a great alternative to Google, which prioritizes your privacy. Other more ecologically focused searches include Ecosia and OceanHero. As for marketplaces, I would urge shoppers to go local and support small businesses. Economies are meant to be circular, and operate this way by staying local and small, instead of like a pyramid where profits funnel to the top.
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| Through the pandemic billionaire's just got richer and richer |
While for this blog I focused on the wrongdoings of big tech, it is important to note how their technology affects mental health. It is proven that social media increases depression and and loneliness. The best way to combat this? Get off it! Real connection that leads to long lasting happiness is direct and face-to-face. I myself have gone on several social media detoxes and they have all been so liberating. And those detoxes have prepared me for my big moment - to step away from FB once and for all.
As consumers we cannot wait for governments and regulators to put the reins on big tech - we must vote with our own dollars and opt for alternatives such as the ones listed above. I'm taking one major step by getting off FB, and am taking all of 2021 to help transition as many of my friends as possible to so I don't have to sacrifice my online community. Though I am still sure to lose contact with many friends, I am ready for this sacrifice and am steadfast in my resolve.
So friends, please come with me! Add me on MeWe or connect with me on Telegram or Signal with our phone numbers. Just message me through FB while we both still have it :)
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