>If everyone reading this did that, would it impact them? No, they would be fine. But I think it's better to do something rather than nothing.
As with climate change, systemic problems can't be solved with individual action.
As with climate change, systemic problems can't be solved with individual action.
I think people leave out the word “only” in statements like yours. Systemic problems can’t be solved with only individual action but the actions of many individuals can very much set examples, serve as encouragement to others, shift norms, and make the political space for regulated or coordinated action more available.
We should not exempt ourselves from individual action, especially when it is inconvenient, simply because our small change won’t single-handedly solve the whole problem. This goes for browsers, “free” email, privacy, and environmental impact.
Same from buying power. You can either buy from small business and make a difference for a family. Or you can keep shopping at big box stores. Sure it feels like a small impact, but this isn't small at all for the small business. Those things add up.
Dealing with a monopoly at an individual level is an exercise in futility.
Right now people are incentivized to use these "free" services because they feel like that's what is in their best interest. And to be honest, they are probably right in the current state of the world. I would be significantly worse off if I refused to use any Google services. I literally wouldn't be able to do my current job.
Making any type of change isn't going to come from us, but from regulators who force change.
It is not my purpose to change anyone's decision but mine. That alone is enough impact for me.
> I would be significantly worse off if I refused to use any Google services. I literally wouldn't be able to do my current job.
You have a tough choice indeed (I am in the same situation). But the choice is yours. And yours alone.
But they can certainly be improved.