Ask Lemmy
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It all really depends. If you're worried about corporate control of everything, we are actually in a really good place, and the future is looking up. Linux is easier to use than ever, and open source adoption is increasing. EU countries are in the midst of weening themselves off of closed-source software from US tech giants like Microsoft. Additionally, self-hosted software is mature enough now to provide genuine alternatives to paid close-source services (Jellyfin instead of streaming, Immich instead of Google Photos, etc).
While I hate AI for a multitude of reasons, users are starting to push back on it, and the eventual bursting of the related financial bubble may take care of the problem for us. Companies will start listening to users again and de-shittify their products when they start losing enough money.
I think the major thing that has changed, and which may be affecting you, is the overall attitude toward the Internet, big tech companies, and technology in general has changed. As a millennial who lived through the rise of home Internet and online communities, I used to have a ton of optimism toward the Internet and big tech companies like Google (remember "Don't be evil"?). There was so much promise and opportunity in the Internet and most people thought that it was changing society for the better. In hindsight, we were we wrong. Big tech companies became just as evil and greedy as big companies in other industries. They used their power and influence to corrupt and enshittify the Internet and related tech for their own ends. And don't get me started on social media.
The good news is that there are still pockets of light on the Internet, populated by tech-savvy users, who tend to be on the higher end of the intelligence scale. It's why I'm on Lemmy and not X or Facebook. My advice to you is to spend your time on the Internet in places that enrich you, especially smaller communities and forums. As for your meat-space friends and relatives, become a tech-evangelist and show them that there are open-source and self-hosted alternatives to the enshittified products offered by big tech companies. We have more choice now than ever.