Reconsidering Recent Hardline Tech Decisions
I recently wrote a post about quitting Twitch. I still think my reasons are valid, but after taking more time to think through things, I realize that my reaction was knee-jerk and the situation is more complicated than I want it to be.
I think a case can be made for staying on Twitch while being aware of its faults and speaking out about concerns. Not that I think I can change anything from within – I will never be important enough for them to care. But there are two big reasons to stay: the people, and the experience.
Over the past three years I have come to know some wonderful people through Twitch and I enjoy interacting with them. I really do love the experience of connecting with people over a shared appreciation for music.
Also, boycotting without parallel alternative systems in place doesn’t work. So I can work on building an Owncast audience alongside my Twitch audience, and maybe Owncast will get to a point where I can leave Twitch without feeling cut off from the people and experiences that I love.
What I want to guard against is complacency. I will go back to Twitch with eyes wide open and be on alert for more shenanigans, which will surely happen. And I will be ready to call them out.
Another recent decision I made was to stop using the Clicks Power Keyboard I recently got because they wanted to force me to sign up for an account with them to get firmware updates for it.
But two can play that game. I signed up with Apple and used a throwaway email address (because Apple gives you the option to do that whenever you sign up for something with your Apple account).
In fact, I have typed most of this post on my Clicks Power Keyboard. I still need to build up muscle memory and that will take a couple weeks, but I think it’s a good device. Brings me right back to my BlackBerry days.
I guess the point of this post is that I needed to be reminded that we live in a fallen, imperfect world. And I can either hide in a cave somewhere and isolate myself from it as I continue to learn about all the bad things that people have done and are doing, or I can try my best to draw attention to the problems while using whatever talents and resources God has given me to help others and do some good.
#100DaysToOffload (No. 166) #tech #Twitch