There are a lot of great writers out there. I would like to thank all of them for their thought and inspiration. Substack is truly an island in this sea of madness. All you have to do is look on here for the real stories from real people. I am just a real people and I write about what inspires me, has pissed me off or something I feel strongly about.
So…today I write about what I see coming. I am not psychic. I am not a fortune teller. I am a good reader and there is writing on the wall.
I am totally private. I was the last of my friends to get a smart phone. It is now the 4th anniversary of the introduction of the “green goblin” into my life. (My android was lovingly named this because it has a green protective cover)
I have downloaded a few apps and deleted a few apps. I have turned off the microphone. I have turned off the camera permissions for stuff and tried to avoid having confirmation log in texts sent to my phone for websites. It has been quite inconvenient and time consuming to just say no to the invasiveness of lazy tech. It would make my life so much easier to let google have my location all the time. It would be so great to have the Amazon app on my phone so I could shop from anywhere. But I found out that it cross spies on everything you do on every app on your phone and hogs a huge amount of storage space as well. Buh Bye Amazon app. I am sure there are little Amazon cookies floating around in the green goblin though. I left Facebook 2 years ago and it was like coming off drugs. Now I feel as if I am floating around in space, tethered to the mothership by a tattered airhose. But, I am doing it. I am calling or e-mailing people instead of stalking them online. I do not miss the drama that comes with the social affirmation we unwittingly bestow upon social media. It stole my peace and I have taken my power back.
I have managed to avoid becoming a QR code. So far. There is NO way I am going to let this phone link all my personal information together and make me a number. Hell no. Sometimes it is nice to just disconnect from the world. I have lived in the universe without cell phones and I can do it again. I have not cut my landline and have no plans on doing so. Telegram is a great way to keep in touch and share pictures with my family. (The irony here is that Telegram won’t connect today). I have never been on Twitter or any of the other tech that people let control their lives. I hear Twitter has shut down my Epoch Times. Luckily I get an actual newspaper. (Just got the mail today…no ET. It is 3 days late!)
Can you just cancel Twitter and get your news the old fashioned way? Dead drops, brush passes and all that?
In Communist countries they have a hard implementation standard. Russia is farther along than we give them credit for on the tech scale. It has the ability to let people face pay for everyday things instead of reaching into their pocket for pesky Rubles or subway tokens. Face Pay. They look up at the camera stationed at the entrance to the subway, take off their mask and clickety click! Boom. Take your ride. Take off mask. Oh, the irony is beautiful.
I have been on one flight where we were made to look at a camera before boarding. I think it was an American Airlines flight to Florida in March of 2021. We had to take off our mask and get the facial. *Cough*. It is all about the control. Now, I am in the system! Baaah! Could this paranoia be okay?
I am taking control of my digital footprint. I turn my phone off at night and put it in a can. One of the reasons I chose an Android is that the battery can be removed. I may just throw it into a lake soon. I realize all these steps probably do nothing to keep “them” out of my head, life and business, but it gives me a modicum of peace. “They” might have me, but I sure as hell am not going to make it easy.
I got rid of my smart phone for a dumb phone a year ago. I keep it around for the camera which still works and takes better pictures. I read somewhere that there's been a big increase in dumb-phone purchases. I assume that also means those who keep them, are being more thoughtful about them like you are. Good signs.
Thanks.
I know a guy who was in the military and went through some training on locating phones. They can find the phone even without the battery. Scary.