> In the last 10 years has technology actually made my life better?

In my case? Yes, absolutely. Automatic speech to text is now cheap or free, ubiquitous across most platforms (even Linux!), and generally very effective. Total game changer to my ability to participate in meetings at work and in society generally.

Like I said, there are fringe cases as always.

I think that's mostly nostalgia talking or not paying attention?

For example, for me:

- My current MB Air (M2 I think) might be best product I have ever owned. I have zero daily use complaints about the product, it's fantastic. I remember vividly how obviously shitty aspects of any of the previous laptops I owned were (screens, fans, heat). At the same time, that Framework can exist and what they do is absolutely amazing.

- Absolutely everyone has a access to a really good smart phone, because bad smart phones don't exist anymore

- I find it intolerable to leave the house without a good set of headphones with good ANC. The idea that I ever tolerated that level of noise and the negative health effects that it has feels silly.

- Similarly, electric cars have made care noise bearable and car exhaust actively offensive to me

- You can reasonably cover your electricity needs with solar panels (and a battery, which also exists) at home

Idk. Just off the of my head. I feel fairly confident I could take branches down the tree and just keep going.

I agree wholeheartedly. Over a decade ago I was excited about all the new technological advancements in consumer devices. Every year, every month, something awesome was happening. Now I don't care anymore. New consumer tech features barely make a difference while useful features get removed to cut costs. Yet pricing has skyrocketed and subscriptions and ads are in everything.

> I was actually happier with that stuff 10 years ago than I am now.

Why can't you just use that then?

Because increasingly I can't park my car, order from a restaurant, manage my bank account, or schedule a doctor's appointment without an up-to-date smartphone, since the old ways of doing those things got removed in favor of apps. I also can't stay in touch with a bunch of my friends, who are on various chat platforms I can't access.

Unless you're prepared to go full off-grid hermit, you cannot opt out of technological progress even if you want to. That irks me, but what can I do?

> Because increasingly I can't park my car, order from a restaurant, manage my bank account, or schedule a doctor's appointment without an up-to-date smartphone

We still have the ability to opt-out of these things, and (sometimes) loudly let businesses know why, but the window is closing fast. If we want to have any hope for a world that doesn't require smartphones and apps, we need to take action now.

> We still have the ability to opt-out of these things, and (sometimes) loudly let businesses know why, but the window is closing fast.

I sometimes wonder if we do have the ability, because for every one person that has some sense, luxury, or energy to opt-out, there are a hundred that go with the flow. For every person who walks out of a restaurant with a QR-code menu, there are a dozen hungry people that walk in. How can we then take action within this system that is closing up around us?

I don't know what the solution is. The idiot consumers that accept and help to normalize this are too numerous.

One can only hope that there will always be at least one bank, at least one restaurant, or at least one doctor that addresses the shrinking market of those of us who care.

The Internet of 10 years ago doesn't exist. The Google search of 10 years ago doesn't exist. The social media of 10 years ago doesn't exist.

Sometimes it's a matter of the prisoner's dilemma or an arms-race. For example, I would like to continue using older phones. But most older phones don't support 4G or 5G. And that's not just a matter of internet: I had a nice phone, worked well for calls and texts, but the phone literally would not connect to the network because it was 2G max.

In other cases, one has to use newer technology because it is what is provided at work. Mainly because older technology doesn't get security updates. Now my iPhone SE original, which works perfectly fine, no longer is updated and I don't know what to do. I DON'T want a newer phone. I hate phones.

Still, some other technology isn't even made any more and if you need to use something at all, it has to be newer because it's harder and harder to find older stuff.

That's the whole thing with "enshittification". Things have been made deliberately worse or unavailable.