US #BigTech is an implement of Imperialism.
Old hunger, new methods.
We were deceived into our dependence upon these platforms, offered largely unconditionally - gifts unbound to an agenda, we thought. Later, as dependence deepened, we came to think of access to them as a fundamental right.
Yet today, as this tech forms the nervous system of an ultraviolent, planet-eating, supremacist regime, we must make a choice, even if inconvenient.
Bc to use these platforms is to support that regime
That said, those of us that've lived long without US BigTech, or mostly, can be too quick to urge others off it, even throwing shade. Rather, we would do well to learn a little patience and take the time to help others transition from their engineered dependence. With a bit of openness and care you'll find many simply don't know where to start.
Guiding folk off a toxic BigTech stack need not be solely online. It can take the form of install parties, monthly meets, community center standups etc.
The ideal here is to provide folk alternatives to BigTech on a trusted & safe home, on well designed & administered community-owned #selfhosted infrastructure.
But to do that we first need to decenter the expertise to deploy, secure & administer server infrastructure - skills near-captive to the gov, mil & corp sectors - & put it in the hands of communities, giving them infrastructural agency.
To this end, ICYMI, here are some intensives that teach you how to do that:
Julian Oliver
Murilo