"Big Tech" has exactly as much power as we give them. As long as we decide to stay on Facebook or Twitter or PayPal rather than embracing open and federated alternatives like ActivityPub and cryptocurrencies -- or at least smaller and more diverse alternatives -- then we are giving away freedom in the name of convenience, speed, or the dopamine hit of seeing who has liked our latest posts.
There's another discussion going on on the front page right now about cruise lines and how they bind you to specific terms and conditions as a prerequisite for taking their cruises. These terms and conditions are upheld by courts and somebody pointed out how it's laughable that courts continue to uphold the legal fiction that you enter into the binding agreements "fully willingly": while a cruise is one thing, being able to board a plane and operate a motor vehicle is part of being able to function as a citizen of the US.
Using the internet is increasingly becoming the same (if it hasn't already). And like it or not, these services - Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - are the internet for most people. Refusing to use them when everybody around you is there is the digital equivalent of hiding in a shack in the middle of the woods.
I have some trouble seriously buying that last part. I understand if you're a small business owner or trying to become an influencer, but otherwise, my wife and I both don't use Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, and it doesn't feel to me like living in the middle of the woods. We have normal jobs and interact with people, live in the dead center of a major city, maintaining functional, unimpeded lives. I don't feel particularly isolated, lonely, or out of the loop. The only major web service I've had to use is Venmo since there are quite a few contractors I've wanted to do business with that wouldn't take payment any other way.
This is nothing at all like boarding an airplane and driving a motor vehicle. Given I travel for work, our families both live out of state, and we're a foster family that has to be able to take children to appointments to maintain our licensing, we really do have no choice on those short of opting out of society.
> The only major web service I've had to use is Venmo since there are quite a few contractors I've wanted to do business with that wouldn't take payment any other way.
Airlines have significant rules governing passenger behavior and speech. Vehicle ownership is subject to all sort of licensing and tracking, not to mention the volumes of traffic law you can be fined or even lose your license for violating.
