Ask HN: What things has tech made worse in your life?

This is a good point and it is something we can all do. Don't go work for companies in industries you're opposed to, no matter how much money they want to throw at you. For this discussion, that would be adtech, marketing/pr, etc.

Most of the time people think about how to stop corporate behavior they don't like, and it comes down to shutting off their cash flow by not buying their stuff, or by regulation. But workers are also required, and just based on numbers I'd say withholding talent is a lot more impactful than withholding cash.

Privacy

Everyone is tracking me, monitoring everything I see and do online, feeding the giant "personalized advertisement" machine and all the other trolls mooching off its edges (identity thieves, scammers, etc.); I'm going to extreme lengths of un-googling my Chromium and Android and un-Microsofting my Windows, pi-holing my network and uBlock-ing on top, but I feel it's all for naught, an exhausting losing battle.

I empathize with your thought of just doing a "Stardew Valley" and dropping all this shit to go live on a farm somewhere, but I'm a cog in the machine now and have to live it through :(

I think many of us here struggle with this. Some may not even be aware or ashamed to admit, it's a problem.

I can only imagine the vicious circle of decreasing attention span it creates.

The problem with this logic is that although I see all these Coke, etc., ads, is that (a) I rarely drink soda, and (b) when I do it's almost always the cheap store brand. The same goes for most grocery items that aren't produce or meat. I almost never buy the branded products unless I know it's better. e.g., Cascade dishwasher detergent is noticeably superior to the store brand.

I think tech makes relationships much harder, I think Chris Rock has a bit on how it was easier for his parents to be married for 30 years than it was for him to be married for 3.

It's not just between you and your partner, it's now between you, them, their 300 Facebook friends.

I screwed up one early relationship since I was so afraid she'd post the wrong thing on Facebook.

In terms of meeting people, I only do it the old fashioned way. When you date a real person who you meet as a member of a community, your much less likely to act like a sociopath.

It's also less stressful. I actually meet more people now, while spending vastly less time on dating.

I will say for me social media was outright damaging. I'd waste 20 hours a week on FB, and various dating apps. Doesn't do anything for you at the end of the day, life is too short to waste it behind a tiny screen. However, Facebook messenger has been very useful when meeting people abroad.

PS: If your not happy with the people your meeting , try moving. America has hundreds of cities, many of which have distinct cultures. Someone who's miserable in say San Jose, might very happy in Atlanta.

Find your niche, don't fall for the lie that you can make it anywhere.