’Denmark Switches.’ A national campaign to collectively move off Big Tech.
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It sounds so much better.
I know people who use both of those horrible sites we've mentioned and they are very much under the impression they're onto something good. I guess it's a matter of believing the hype.
️@grb090423 I think we all just slowly got entangled in these solutions. The Big Tech Bros designed them to manipulate us, to destroy competition, to deceive us into thinking that we were gaining something, to make it expensive for us to leave. And 'everyone' used them. No wonder it's been hard to see a way out, or even to realise that we wanted to find a way out, a better way.
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@donaldham Ah! Now I get the wider context. Oh yes, how satisyfing that this is being flipped around now!
@CiaraNi @donaldham
The only thing is, based on latest experiences in Scotland last year. Only a few commercial places rented out via AirBnb. The owner(s) far away, a local system in the town for cleaning, repairing accommodations. No private owners to please.
Charming old town with even independent bakeries and groceries. "Yes. we do get some more visitors here. Your places were empty, rundown. In good shape now".
For this year we did it direct in a similar place without Uber-tourism. -
Before I could pick my 2026 goal for #DanmarkSkifter, I did a digital status. I was mildly surprised when I saw my 2025 digital changes together. I looked at the list and thought: ’Tell me you hang out in the Fediverse without telling me you hang out in the Fediverse.’
From Outlook to Tuta
From Office to Libre
From MS Authenticator to Ente Authenticator
From Google Play to F-Droid
From Spotify to AntennaPod
From Firefox to Vivaldi
From DuckDuckGo to NoAIDuckDuckGo
And I bought a back-up drive.Impressive!
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I'm enjoying the results of disenshittifying my digital life so much that I need a more celebratory word for it than 'disenshittifying'. So far, every solution I’ve switched to is better than the Big Tech one I left. Not ’better’ as in ’not enshittified’, but better designed. LibreOffice: does what I need and only does what I tell it to do. AntennaPod: much better features than Spotify. Tuta: functional and calm and 10 months later, I still haven’t received a single spam mail.
@CiaraNi liberation. Enlightenment
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"It's only the bad thing that needed a new word"
That's it! I was hoping for relief and liberation, which is what I'm getting. But I was so focused on escaping the Bad Thing that I didn't anticipate how much *better* the non-Big Tech replacement solutions would be. It doesn't feel as negative as 'disenshittifying', but more positive. As an end user, every alternative to Big Tech solution so far feels like an upgrade.
@CiaraNi It’s a bit like the difference between the carefully staged lives and airbrushed beauty of influencers versus real people and real life. The former may dazzle and fascinate, but it’s a hollow thing. The alternative to Big Tech is tech made with enthusiasm and authenticity. It may not be perfect-looking and shiny, it may even have flaws, but even flaws can be part of the charm.
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@grb090423 I think we all just slowly got entangled in these solutions. The Big Tech Bros designed them to manipulate us, to destroy competition, to deceive us into thinking that we were gaining something, to make it expensive for us to leave. And 'everyone' used them. No wonder it's been hard to see a way out, or even to realise that we wanted to find a way out, a better way.
Absolutely. It's quite sad but as you say, we've all been taken in by the Big Tech nasties, in one way or another.
Time to get out!
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Absolutely. It's quite sad but as you say, we've all been taken in by the Big Tech nasties, in one way or another.
Time to get out!
@grb090423 Agreed!
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"It's only the bad thing that needed a new word"
That's it! I was hoping for relief and liberation, which is what I'm getting. But I was so focused on escaping the Bad Thing that I didn't anticipate how much *better* the non-Big Tech replacement solutions would be. It doesn't feel as negative as 'disenshittifying', but more positive. As an end user, every alternative to Big Tech solution so far feels like an upgrade.
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@CiaraNi @donaldham
The only thing is, based on latest experiences in Scotland last year. Only a few commercial places rented out via AirBnb. The owner(s) far away, a local system in the town for cleaning, repairing accommodations. No private owners to please.
Charming old town with even independent bakeries and groceries. "Yes. we do get some more visitors here. Your places were empty, rundown. In good shape now".
For this year we did it direct in a similar place without Uber-tourism.Before we planned our UK trip (England/Scotland) I was alerted by the Rick Steves site that BnBs were vanishing, put out of business by the Air BnB model.
They also reduce housing stock, are horrible neighborhood nuisances, and have all the revulsion factor of private equity funds. So we went out of our way to give business only to real BnBs with onsite owners.
In Rancho Mirage, the CA desert resort town where I live, short term rentals have been outlawed.
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@CiaraNi @donaldham
The only thing is, based on latest experiences in Scotland last year. Only a few commercial places rented out via AirBnb. The owner(s) far away, a local system in the town for cleaning, repairing accommodations. No private owners to please.
Charming old town with even independent bakeries and groceries. "Yes. we do get some more visitors here. Your places were empty, rundown. In good shape now".
For this year we did it direct in a similar place without Uber-tourism.@hanktank61 @donaldham I've never understood the way that AirBnb manages to retain some of the aura of 'staying on my mate's mates couch', 'sticking it to The Man by swapping with real people' etc. A commercial company monopolising the few AirBnb accommodations in a small place, centralising and monopolising the supporting services around them, is the opposite of that to me. That's just a hotel or B&B, but even more centralised and cartel-ish.
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Before we planned our UK trip (England/Scotland) I was alerted by the Rick Steves site that BnBs were vanishing, put out of business by the Air BnB model.
They also reduce housing stock, are horrible neighborhood nuisances, and have all the revulsion factor of private equity funds. So we went out of our way to give business only to real BnBs with onsite owners.
In Rancho Mirage, the CA desert resort town where I live, short term rentals have been outlawed.
@donaldham @hanktank61 This is a fine summation of why AirBnbs are a problem, not a solution. It's good to see an increasing number of places banning short-term AirBnB rentals, thus standing up for the local community. Am glad they dealt with it where you are.
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@CiaraNi It’s a bit like the difference between the carefully staged lives and airbrushed beauty of influencers versus real people and real life. The former may dazzle and fascinate, but it’s a hollow thing. The alternative to Big Tech is tech made with enthusiasm and authenticity. It may not be perfect-looking and shiny, it may even have flaws, but even flaws can be part of the charm.
@stveje Well said.
"The alternative to Big Tech is tech made with enthusiasm and authenticity. It may not be perfect-looking and shiny, it may even have flaws, but even flaws can be part of the charm."
Yes! I enjoy the quirks in small apps I've found via F-Droid. They'll have great features, then one mystery button that makes it freeze if you forget to avoid it. It's like that bockety table in your local café. You know it's bockety, you just have to shove a beer mat under it when it wobbles.
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@notsoloud @stveje 'Surprised by Joy.' Ah, lovely. That gets at what I am trying to articulate here. My joy and surprise at discovering that I thought I was Boycotting Bad Thing, but in fact was Gaining Good Thing.
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@faduda I am definitely enjoying putting a little Lud in my life. The more Lud, the better. I am still reaching for a word that focuses on the fact that I am not Boycotting A Bad Thing but Gaining A Good Thing. If that makes sense. I am having difficulty explaining myself, I realise. This is why I need a word for it!
@CiaraNi
Ludding Up -
I'm enjoying the results of disenshittifying my digital life so much that I need a more celebratory word for it than 'disenshittifying'. So far, every solution I’ve switched to is better than the Big Tech one I left. Not ’better’ as in ’not enshittified’, but better designed. LibreOffice: does what I need and only does what I tell it to do. AntennaPod: much better features than Spotify. Tuta: functional and calm and 10 months later, I still haven’t received a single spam mail.
Cleansing?
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’Denmark Switches.’ A national campaign to collectively move off Big Tech. March 20th is Big Switch Day. I’ve named my goal now. I’m already almost deMicrosofted, except for my photo archive. I moved to Libre & Tuta mail and have been purging photos as I await the release of Tuta drive. Now I’m committing myself to just get the photos off OneDrive and on to my computer, that I own, in my house, by March 20th. Then I’ll delete Microsoft. Then I’ll boast about it on the Fediverse.
#DanmarkSkifter
that's the spirit!
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@grb090423 Agreed!
This is a great thread you started, here!
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I stopped using Booking.com ages ago, tired of the spam and Big Corporateness of it. Now I only book directly with hotels. Every time, it's cheaper and the experience is better. If I need to contact a hotel, I communicate with a human. When I needed to make a date change not covered by the booking: 'no problem!' They changed it instantly for free. I'd forgotten how actual customer service used to be. I also forgot to actually delete my account. #DanmarkSkifter reminded me. I just deleted it.
@CiaraNi I've long been a believer in booking directly, for all the reasons you've noted. I've even stumbled through booking a stay at a French farm via a phone call, relying on my extremely limited French and the structured way such conversations always tend to go. Great place, well worth working through my awkwardness.
AirBnB seemed like a decent idea when it really was "use my couch" or even spare bedroom. In its current form, it just soaks up what should be housing stock. Never used it, never will.
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@hanktank61 @donaldham I've never understood the way that AirBnb manages to retain some of the aura of 'staying on my mate's mates couch', 'sticking it to The Man by swapping with real people' etc. A commercial company monopolising the few AirBnb accommodations in a small place, centralising and monopolising the supporting services around them, is the opposite of that to me. That's just a hotel or B&B, but even more centralised and cartel-ish.
@CiaraNi @donaldham
"Good Old Days" . I lived a while in the UK in the '70''s working at trainstations in catering.
Low pay but free travel. Real B&B, £ 5 a night.
Older ladies having a spare-room. Local Tourist information with real people, phoning " Hi Annie I have a person ( later "a couple" )for you". Then came internet. They had to go by the new rules for info. Otherwise no business. Change was fast. No more "want a cuppa tea? " when arriving after a long trip.
Keybox, that is it. -
’Denmark Switches.’ A national campaign to collectively move off Big Tech. March 20th is Big Switch Day. I’ve named my goal now. I’m already almost deMicrosofted, except for my photo archive. I moved to Libre & Tuta mail and have been purging photos as I await the release of Tuta drive. Now I’m committing myself to just get the photos off OneDrive and on to my computer, that I own, in my house, by March 20th. Then I’ll delete Microsoft. Then I’ll boast about it on the Fediverse.
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️️ Walking away from techbros
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