this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2025
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Buy European

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/26584999

I've decided to make some significant changes in my digital life. I've taken the plunge and am rooting out most US-based services from my usage list. This includes canceling all my streaming subscriptions, putting my Reddit account in cold storage, and deleting my Twitter accounts. Additionally, I'm in the process of removing my presence from Meta platforms. This shift is part of my effort to simplify and re-evaluate my online habits and dependencies.

One of the primary reasons for this change is the importance of bolstering the EU economy. By supporting European companies and services, I believe we can foster innovation and growth within our own region. This not only strengthens our economic independence but also encourages the development of solutions tailored to our specific needs and values.

In my exploration of EU-based alternatives, I've found that while they may be slightly more expensive, they often offer superior technology and usability. The focus on quality, privacy, and user experience in many European products aligns with my personal values and expectations. By investing in these solutions, I'm not only supporting local businesses but also benefiting from advanced and reliable services.

This transition is about more than just personal preference; it's about contributing to a stronger, more self-sufficient European digital landscape. I'm excited to continue discovering and integrating more EU-based services into my daily life.

Despite the costs and effort needed to make this change, I would like to encourage and motivate everyone else considering doing the same. It will undoubtedly be tough for a while, but if we push forward together, it will be better for all of us in the end. Let's support each other in this journey towards a more independent and innovative digital future.

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[–] AceFuzzLord@lemm.ee 1 points 38 minutes ago (1 children)

I would suggest MX as a European alternative Linux distro for winblows users looking for a more beginner friendly distro, but I checked on Distrowatch and it says the origin is Greece and USA.

[–] Patch@feddit.uk 2 points 24 minutes ago

There are plenty of European Linux distros, and this sort of thing always inevitably boils down to which distro is the OP's personal favourite. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course, but it can blow the discussion somewhat of course!

Ubuntu itself is European/British, and SUSE/openSUSE is a notable major player of the Linux world. Then there's Manjaro, Zorin, Tuxedo, Solus, Feren, Mageia, and I'm sure dozens besides.

[–] JoeBidet@lemmy.ml 5 points 3 hours ago

Netflix, Disney+ -> ThePirateBay

[–] LinPing1976@lemm.ee 3 points 7 hours ago

Brave and Firefox shouldn't really be there when there are European alternatives like Vivaldi.

[–] Hirom 18 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

BlueSky is US-based and not really decentralised. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesky

Prefer Mastodon and other fediverse services.

[–] klu9@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 hours ago

Bluesky = fedivapour?

"We're going to be federated one of these days, honest."

[–] NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk 4 points 8 hours ago (3 children)

I'm a slower burn, deciding to move one account at a time to limit the fatigue.

Today was reddit as I noticed it was still my default to open that before Lemmy

[–] Slayan@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 hour ago

My man, i still have the baconreader app on my phone. Sometime i open it, hoping it might work. Take your time, welcome home 👋

[–] drthunder@midwest.social 2 points 2 hours ago

There's nothing wrong with pacing yourself, moving accounts/sites is a process.

[–] BevsDad@lemmy.ca 2 points 7 hours ago

It's a real challenge when I use Boost for both. But I quickly catch on when I notice the post quality going to shit.

[–] MrSoup@lemmy.zip 17 points 12 hours ago

I like how they've gone straight to piracy for streaming.

[–] oakward@feddit.org 2 points 8 hours ago

Why not suggest Aptoide as an app store?

[–] adbenitez@lemmy.ml 9 points 11 hours ago

As alternative to WhatsApp, there is also ArcaneChat that is more user-friendly for normies: https://arcanechat.me/

[–] Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz 2 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

How can I move from WhatsApp to any other messaging app, if people I chat with don’t use any other app than WhatsApp? Serious question. I would love to ditch WhatsApp, but it seems like impossible task.

[–] rfr_Foglia@feddit.it 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

We need some laws that make companies expose messaging apps APIs so that a third party open source app that talks to all the different messaging services can finally emerge.

[–] Asfalttikyntaja@sopuli.xyz 2 points 8 hours ago

Yes, that would be awesome.

[–] cRazi_man@lemm.ee 13 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (3 children)

I've made similar changes....but I've stopped recommending these to people. Almost everything here takes plenty of knowhow and setup effort. Good to have a reference like this....but this is not for normies.

Also, Lemmy tends to shoot on sight at the mention of Brave. Lemmy hivemind is close to doing the same with Firefox.

[–] LucidNightmare@lemm.ee 4 points 4 hours ago

We only shoot Brave on sight because there are a myriad of reasons why Brave (which is just another crappy chromium browser) is a very bad browser. I’ve given a few links just a week ago that goes into great detail on why it is a shitty browser run by a shady corpo. Let me know if you’d like to read them, and I’ll gladly share them here in an EDIT. :)

[–] three@lemm.ee 4 points 7 hours ago

Lemmy tends to shoot on sight at the mention of Brave.

And for good reason.

[–] gon@lemm.ee 7 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I feel like there are quite a few normie-friendly alternatives out there... But generally speaking, I've gotta agree.

However, I do think we could take it upon ourselves to help! It might be hard to set up, but it's worth it. I say: keep recommending it, but make yourself more available to guide and aid people less knowledgeable than yourself.

If you're willing, of course.

[–] cRazi_man@lemm.ee 2 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

My mission has been to get people to at least use a password manager like Bitwarden. I've been unsuccessful for years and am stuck recovering accounts for everyone. You have to understand just how little normies are willing to do.

[–] gon@lemm.ee 3 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

...They can't use a password manager?!

[–] cRazi_man@lemm.ee 8 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

They could learn......but they won't.

I've managed to get my wife to use Bitwarden through brute force, i.e. when I recover any account for her I refuse to let he input a new password without putting it in her Bitwarden first. Only to find out when she changed device that she doesn't remember her Bitwarden password and only ever used the fingerprint on her phone.

My parents are the other people I provide tech support for. They'd rather just say they'll ask me to recover their account again rather than use Bitwarden. If I try to force them to use it I have to teach them how to use it again every time (which icon was it? What was my password for this? How do I input the account details you've got now?).

My wife and parents don't remember the password for their main google account on their android and gmail. Any time a password prompt comes up for anything they ask me "so should I put in my Google password here?" 🤦‍♂️

People at work have realised I'm "techsavy" and ask me stuff. They won't use Bitwarden either. They've all got pieces of paper on their desks with their passwords for secure work systems.

[–] gon@lemm.ee 3 points 10 hours ago

You depress me. I have no comments.

[–] AnonomousWolf@lemm.ee 4 points 13 hours ago

I've switched away from google to https://www.infomaniak.com/en/ksuite

1.91 Euro/m for 1 Terabyte of storage, and it's hosted and operated from Switzerland

[–] kauraaaa@sopuli.xyz 3 points 12 hours ago

Isn't Stremio just a torrent client with integrated videoplayer and search? Kind of odd suggesting it as an alternative to legit services. Might get some less knowledgable people bonked with fines.

[–] Blaze@feddit.org 4 points 13 hours ago