With all that is currently going on in the world, it is hard to navigate the digital world while maintaining peace of mind. Online discussions are often toxic, particularly on social media. The news is becoming increasingly depressing. Big tech companies are becoming ever more predatory, failing to respect our data and privacy and, in many cases, actively supporting authoritarianism.

The measures taken by the US administration since it came to power – including the trade war, tariffs and threats to annex Canada, as well as, more recently, the illegal war in Iran – have made me want to avoid any US-based services as much as possible.

With this in mind, I have begun taking steps to clean up my digital life and attempt to establish my own form of digital sovereignty. I will take steps to use only services that align with my own values and contribute to my well-being and mental health.

• I have moved my main email addresses away from Google and am looking for alternatives to the other services in their Workplace suite, in order to decouple myself from their ecosystem.
• I have deleted my Bluesky account - I had moved there as a Twitter refugee when it was purchased by Musk in 2022. However, I have found it increasingly contains the same negative content and tone as X. Every time I opened the app, I became more depressed about the state of the world. I simply derive no benefit from using this service.
• I will continue to use social media, but in a more moderate and thoughtful way. You can find me on the Fediverse via my profile on Fosstodon.
• I have moved away from certain services provided by Microsoft, a company I have always hated.
  • I’ve cancelled my subscription to GitHub Copilot Pro: I’d become reliant on the Copilot integration in VS Code to access models like Claude Code. I’m now exploring a fully local LLM setup based on tools such as Ollama, Open Code and others.
  • I have also deleted my LinkedIn account. I have always regarded this site as a necessary evil, as everyone is expected to be on it for their professional profile and job hunting. However, with the latest "Browsergate" scandal, I’ve simply had enough and can no longer stay on this service.
• I will only financially support podcasts and other content creators who, in my view, share my values and have a positive influence on the world.
• In the personal entertainment category, I am also limiting the number of streaming services I subscribe to at any one time. These costs add up quickly.
• Finally, I’ve decided to declutter my home office, which tends to serve as a dumping ground for all sorts of useless items. I’m going to take a leaf out of Marie Kondo’s book to get rid of anything that doesn’t spark joy and ensure my workspace becomes a place where I genuinely want to spend time.

This process will take several months, but but I’m convinced this digital "spring cleaning" will help me restore balance to my digital life and find more of peace of mind.