this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2024
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Google's story over the last two decades has been a tale as old as time: enshittification for growth. The once-beloved startup—with its unofficial "Don't Be Evil" motto—has instead become a major Internet monopolist, as a federal judge ruled on Monday, dominating the market for online search. Google is also well-known for its data-harvesting practices, for constantly killing off products, and for facilitating the rise of brain-cell-destroying YouTubers who make me Fear for Today's Youth. (Maybe that last one is just me?)

Google's rapid rise from "scrappy search engine with doodles" to "dystopic mega-corporation" has been remarkable in many ways, especially when you consider just how much goodwill the company squandered so quickly. Along the way, though, Google has achieved one unexpected result: In a divided America, it offers just about everyone something to hate.

Here are just a few of the players hating Google today.

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 3 months ago (7 children)

Whats a good google maps alternative?

Ive had some success with OSM+ but only if I supply the end point myself. Otherwise it had a really hard time getting a place like Home Depot or a local university, etc....etc....

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[–] [email protected] 42 points 3 months ago

Despite the convenience of some of its tools, the hardcore tech set increasingly prefers tech companies like Signal or even Apple, which is currently running expensive TV ads about how other browsers (read: Google's Chrome) spy on you.

One important thing to be mentioned is that, while Apple is correct when highlighting that Chrome is a privacy nightmare, Apple and Google are cut from the same cloth and they're both user-hostile when it comes to privacy, monopoly enforcement, censorship, etc. Both deserve the hate that they get. (Alongside Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft.)

[–] [email protected] 87 points 3 months ago (8 children)

We demand infinite growth. Why? Because shareholders want to buy shares and sell them later for more.

Do anything it takes to make that transaction happen, cut people's jobs en masse, whatever.

Forever.

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[–] [email protected] 17 points 3 months ago

On August 5, 2024, Trump asked his supporters to stop using Google.

Did not know that. Well. Stopped clock, blind squirrel, etc.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 months ago (2 children)

A lot of people still don't know.

Some people don't even know what Reddit is.

Now, Reddit is charging Google for priority access to its posts (article - only Google and Brave will show those results in the near future).

Perhaps Google will start charging money to use it also.

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[–] [email protected] 113 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Hopefully DeGoogleing will go a bit like the cable "Cord Cutters" did in terms of headlines over time:

  1. Is cutting cable feasible?
  2. Some are are finding solutions to lower their cable bills.
  3. Industry denies cord cutters are impacting profit.
  4. Providers cling to sports broadcasts as a way to short-circut cord cutters.
  5. Are young people the "never-cable" generation?
  6. Here's where to watch the Olympics online.

Of course, streaming is worse than cable now... so lets learn from that.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (6 children)

"streaming is worse than cable now" is it though?

I stream for weeks on end without a single ad, watching only what I want. I go to an older person's house and I hear the same friggin commercial jingles, the same canned studio laughter, and shows that are designed for the stupidest common denominator.

I grew up in the era of Saturday morning cartoons. My brain was liquidified on cereal commercials. I won't allow cable into my house under any circumstances.

But I do agree that we should learn from too easily replacing the working with the next big thing without any regulations on how the next big thing is allowed to operate

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago)

Its worse in that to see the content I want I need MULTIPLE subscriptions that add up to more than cables cost ...or I can sail the high seas once more. I've cancellled everything except amazon because I save enough on shipping to justify it (mostly heavy items)

[–] [email protected] 25 points 3 months ago

I stream for weeks on end without a single ad

But that's now changing. The bottom tiers of many (most?) streaming apps include ads, and it's not a stretch to think that they'll include ads on the higher tiers eventually, or just increase prices until people downgrade to ad-supported tiers. Yeah, you can use an ad-blocker, but you could also use a DVR for cable that also filters out ads.

I'm bailing on both and just buying physical media again. I hope that doesn't die out, but I'm done with paying for subscriptions. We don't watch a ton, so I'm probably going to save money this way.

I wish we had a streaming equivalent of a DVR, then I might actually want streaming again.

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[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Hate Google ain't enough, plebs need to deny Google profit.

That's how you hurt a parasite.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Why only deny Google? Attack them all with a blow to the stock market. The further it ticks down the more they bleed.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

yes, there are many ways to do this. once you ID corpo as a bad faith actor, deny them engagement/profit.

this is the the crux of the strat. however it only works for discretionary spending category. rent, food etc is hard to avoid but there are still some choices.

vote with that wallet folks, it is the ol' reliable of them all

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 months ago (4 children)

I'm currently de-Googling my life. Moving all my services over to Proton, testing other search engines, etc. Trying to slowly cut out/replace all services that Google provides me.

Oh, and I'm sticking with Firefox with Ublock Origin, to ensure Google can't ever advertise to me, even incidentally.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago

GOOD WORK SOLDIER

I haven’t used any Google produces or services for the better part of a decade now and my life has been fine. I haven’t used Facebook or any non-forum-type social media either and my life has been BETTER!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago (2 children)

I'm not fully de-Googling, however I have been migrating things that Google does badly over to other services. Kagi for search was the latest, and admittedly hardest mentally for me to do. Not because the search engine itself isn't fantastic (it is), but I've been using Google since its inception when I stopped asking Jeeves or Hotbot. Just feels weird to jump ship, but I'm so tired of how bad and enshitified their search has become that I just can't do it anymore.

I actually have a Proton acct already but only use the VPN. Sounds like it's time to look further into the other offerings.

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

I finally gave up on Edge with the coming ad-blocker changes. Moving back to Firefox after a decade+ was super easy, hardly a blip in my day.

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[–] [email protected] 68 points 3 months ago (3 children)

its a human flaw... insatiable greed.

we distilled this greed and removed all actual responsibility creating an entity, 'the stock market'. this well of irresponsible greed has reached a singularity.... a point of no return. we are all too dependent on this terrible thing and so it cant be removed.

the majority of us just get to suffer while being told 'theres no other way'

we cant have nice things because humans are just so fucking greedy and incapable of controlling that greed.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 months ago (6 children)

No, it’s a capitalist flaw. Capitalism is not an intrinsic trait of humanity. We can create systems that have effective self-regulation and appropriate feedback loops. It’s just that most countries, for one reason or another, haven’t really tried.

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