TechTakes

I absolutely hear what you're saying, and I don't disagree with you; it's an uphill battle. I also feel frustrated that boycotts aren't stuck to by most people.

It is possible, though. We're human beings with our own faculties and we're capable of making our own decisions about whether something aligns with our values - regardless of internal or external pressures.

I used to use Spotify constantly. I boycotted them around three years ago and haven't touched the service since. I boycotted Amazon around the same time, right when I was in the middle of a long series of audio books which I'll now likely never finish I guess. I've stopped eating out at any restaurants, or using any delivery services. I've stopped smoking, and drinking. I sold my PS5. All for various reasons, and all against marketing pressure, peer pressure, or my own temptation.

I understand that the majority of people don't stick to boycotts, and I get it. In this case, some people don't care that genAI is used etc, some people aren't aware of the problems with genAI, some people aren't aware it's even being used. Also - life is hard, and it often sucks. We can't blame people wanting to just shut up and chill out, rather than deprive themselves of something that might make them happy. Totally understandable.

What I'm saying, though, is that we, the people having this discussion right now in this thread, seem to agree that genAI sucks and that it also sucks that nobody sticks to boycotts.

So why don't we just decide to boycott? Not talking about the majority, or the public, or some great chunk of the population - I'm saying you, and me, and the other people in this thread. You can decide to boycott and to stick to it. Doesn't matter what the majority do. I have decided to boycott, and stick to it.