Note: this was first published on tumblr on 26.03.26
It's really easy to fall for all those trends about "going analog" and "buying a dumbphone" but at the end of the day the internet is a big part of our society and you cannot disengage completely from it. The "analog trend" is just another individualistic choice that ends up swallowed up by capitalism once again by turning it into pure consumption.
All the technological companies have been slowly stripping the internet from all the safety measures: moderation and reporting doesn't work anymore, blocking is in some places non-existance and you, as a user, can't control the content you see. AI has been spoon-fed to you by making every other single characteristic completely unusable, the same way your city underfunds your public services so they can assign it to private companies. They have tried to impose this new and flashy necessity, deteriorating your mental abilities so you end up becoming dependant. Whatever keeps you here for a little bit more, whatever gives a little bit more of engangement, a little bit more of your data. And the worst part is that you're nothing more than the lab rat in the big plans. You push all the buttons and the scientists nod. At the end of the day they make the big bucks when they sell all the results to the military. Niantic has generated the most accurate world map thanks to the Pokemon Go players. OpenAi is working with the USA government in this new war. Every time you solve a catcha (you're not a robot!) a drone gets better at identifying a kid's face.
But do not worry my friend! Now that the internet is destroyed and unsafe here comes your government to protect you! Well, not you exactly, the kids! That's good, isn't it? You'll only have to upload your ID or otherwise won't be able to use your phone or your computer*. Data leaks? Why would you worry about that? (It has never† ever# ever§ happened) Do you have something to hide or is it that you hate kids? UK's government loves kids so much the first pages they have blocked were those about trans and lgbt resources◊. They're so worried about us, the EU parliament has voted today FOR THE THIRD TIME for the Chat Control Measures and it has been rejected AGAIN (but I'm sure they'll try again sometime soon).
At the end of the day what they really want is to control you. And even behind the best of intentions, all these laws mean you might be in danger for speaking-up against topics like genocide, wars or your government. You can't just turn around and choose disconnection or "going analog". You can, however, demand a new internet: one with no malicious feats (like infinite scrolling), with no propaganda, one where the goverment regulates unsafe measures by punishing the companies NOT you, one where we can guarantee kids have a safe space instead of banishing them once again from everywhere. Remember, the internet is not an isolated universe away from reality, it is a a reflection and an extension of it.