A lament about the concentration of the internet in the hands of a few mega corporations that will last well beyond your lifetime and mine. About their often malign influence, their lack of consideration for us as individuals and our utter lack of influence over them:
Sometimes it feels like the paradigm has inverted. Technology was the mold growing across human systems. Software was eating the world. Now it feels like humans are the mold growing on technology.
By and large the writer is right. Participating in today online-offline urban society means accepting monopolies (Facebook, Gmail) or duopolies (Amazon/Flipkart, iOS/Android, Uber/Ola, Zomato/Swiggy, MakeMyTrip/Cleartrip).
In theory, you can resist. You can think carefully about data custody and use open source software wherever possible. You can minimise software and data lock in, for instance by avoiding smart devices that require an internet connection to work or unlock features. You can support local businesses.
But being largely free of the influence of tech giants? That requires a major change in the way you live. Even homesteading isn’t going to be a solution.