Pomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 19
Factory reset my android phone out of desperation, and geezus, that made it worse! Did an update, phone screen keeps turning on, is it an app, is my screen dying, all how-tos are out of date, where the fuck is the screen wake/sleep option nowadays!? Why? Just leave my phone alone.
Also, after a factory reset and choosing NOT to just copy a back up the phone to install choices and apps—— you realize how interconnected things are, how signed you are, how many passwords you’ve forgotten, how many things need permissions to access xyz…..ugh.
I’m NOT the most inept person with tech, not the smartest but I’ve been getting by.
Might save up for a minimalist phone, exercise my brain with map skills, save app stuff for home and a laptop ‘cause fuck this shit that ensnares us.
#android #enshittification #sos
Show threadTarraccasFeb 19
@Pomegranatepirate It's the process of [re]gaining access to accounts that drives me crazy. Anytime I have to do it I ready my authenticator apps (plural), prepare all my 2FA and put on the #MissionImpossible theme music. It's exhausting.
Show threadPomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 19
@tarraccas omg yeah. Nightmare. Good to be prepared for the task ahead, not naive like I was, and.... The right music and space to do it in. All devices on hand. It shouldn't be like this, right?
I will choose wisely and prepare next time.
Show threadTarraccasFeb 19
@Pomegranatepirate I wouldn't say you're naive so much as blindsided w/this bullshit. And no, it should not be this way. I was trying to activate a credit card the other day and the process wanted to use an old landline number for 2FA rather than my current number ... on file ... listed under "mobile". Had to call a phone number. The robot that answered started interrogating me about income. I demanded a human and that human helped me cancel the card because I was done!
Show threadPomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 20
@tarraccas blindside, and Maybe we are starting to reach peak capacity of numerous apps, 2FAs, and updates.
After updating my phone, every app I previously used keeps popping up repetitive “allow notifications?” even after making a choice. Also, a shit ton of spam texts. Ugh.
Time for a landline and answering machine.
Show threadTarraccasFeb 20

@Pomegranatepirate Old school answering machine w/a cassette tape. But seriously, landlines aren't cheap and I got TONS of spam, robo and endless pollster calls on mine. I guess they figure anyone with a landline still is an easy, elderly mark. It sucks.

But I get where you're coming from. Unlike the "dumb" phones that worked out of the box, I have to clear a day to upgrade a "smart" phone (w/minimal apps) anymore. I keep threatening to go to HAM radio. One day I will. 📻

Show threadPomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 20
@tarraccas oh, poop, I forgot about telemarketers.
A whole day to set a phone appropriately, yuck. I get it though.
So ham radio… we have a club in town, they are the most enthusiastic group of older men (maybe women?). I’m sure you have no problem setting that up. Now, getting all your important people dialed into that might be hard.
Show threadTarraccas
@Pomegranatepirate It'd be like getting any of my normie contacts to switch from the social media silos to a federated option like Mastodon. Or clients to secure their email correspondence with a public key. To some extent at least, gotta meet people where they are even when they themselves complain about how much it sucks there. It's the reason I have Facebook Messenger installed ... because apparently texting is too sophisticated or something.
Feb 20 at 7:22pmWeb
Show threadPomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 21
@tarraccas omg, yes. I was so proud I resisted the 30 day fast from Facebook while waiting to purge my 10 yr + (?) relationship with them. Only to find out it's the best way to stay in touch with my dad, .... And some local groups that only post there. It does serve a purpose, but it did better before it got so monetarily dialed in with ads and suggestions.
I'm so happy here, although no one in my real life is here.
Show threadTarraccasFeb 21
@Pomegranatepirate Once upon a time, Facebook could be better integrated into other systems. I had an #IM app, Trillian, setup to popup a little preview whenever a contact posted in real time. But they restricted that so now I have to go to their site (I refuse to install their battery-guzzling spyware app) and dig through it, hunter-gatherer style, rather than having it delivered to me. I can get some via #RSS but it's delayed and number of posts is limited due to imposed quotas.
Show threadTarraccasFeb 21
@Pomegranatepirate Incidentally, I am considering using some of this so-called #AI to help literally screen read Facebook posts into #RSS feeds. So far, I've just tried to get Google Gemini (company account) to do it but it's useless. Just goes on about how Facebook prevents scraping (yeah, no shit) and offers to give me #Python scripts so that I can do it myself (no, I want you, robot, to do it for me). Anyway, it's not super important I guess.
Show threadPomegranate Pirate 🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️Feb 21
@tarraccas also re meeting people where they are at... I work at a public library and a lot of it is helping people navigate our printing system on our Linux computers. I know people really really like Linux, but holy heck, for the general public just trying to print a resume from a PDF or file it doesn't like, or trying to help format libre docs (even I haven't had the time or pleasure of learning that) it's frustrating. We need an act of god to destroy these computers and make them user friendly. Most people who come in who need our computers do know how to do basic right click print, and get things to work, but not here. Also.... Our print management software is nice but no one has labeled the print icon. Ugh.
Sorry for venting. I just feel their pain and they feel so stupid for not getting it, and it's not their fault.
Show threadTarraccasFeb 21
@Pomegranatepirate I help my dad figure things out sometimes and assure him that it's poor #UX design, not him. How I or anyone is supposed to know that pressing and holding on a poorly marked element brings up a hidden but essential menu of options is beyond me. I just tell him to start clicking trying to move things around, never know what might shake out.