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I really don't understand people who throw their arms up in exasperation and wonder what alternatives exist to Google (or other big tech) products. It's takes a little dedication because it's not as easy as using a conglomerate, but there are a bunch of easy and stable alternatives to core Google products just a... ahem... internet search away.

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My personal exasperation is less about being unable to find alternatives (e.g. [1]). It's more that those alternatives aren't 1) as good, 2) free, or 3) part of the same platform.

And even if I use an alternative, my friends, family, and workplace do not. So I'm still fighting the use of Google products after I stop using them.

[1]: https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/wiki/de-google

I don't really disagree, I just feel like that choice is pretty well known at this point. Big tech provides a high degree of polish, an economical cost, and probably mind-blowing amounts of data collection. Alternatives are slightly less polished, perhaps more expensive, and probably more favorable from a privacy perspective. Sure it would be nice to have it all, but I see this as just another tradeoff we have to make to live in the modern world. I sympathize with the viewpoint, I guess I just react differently to the options.

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