[pengo]

Divorce proceedings are over for me.

I've never used Amazon. I stopped using Microsoft products eight years ago. I left Facebook five years ago. I exited Google's ecosystem shortly afterwards. I closed my Twitter account the day Elon walked into the executive suite. I do have a small exposure to Apple which I mull over daily like probing a suspect tooth with my tongue. But I'm centred on Linux, with a SailfishOS phone.

I found my tribe in decentralised social media. I have two Mastodon accounts, a personal one and one for the music duo I'm in, and a Lemmy account. I'm considering Bookwyrm right now too. All of these took a lot of effort to get to the point where they're worthwhile. The first months were not rewarding but, gradually, I hooked up with people I wanted to chat with, found the hashtags and forums that were a good fit for me.

If you're prepared to invest some time in your social network, I recommend checking out the Fediverse. But it won't hand you anything on a plate.