Well, it's no secret that the past couple of months is proof that we are living in a dystopian timeline thanks to the increased amount of data-scraping that is being done literally billions of people, which has led to Big Tech enabling unwanted mass-surveillance, age-verification solutions that are suspicious at best, and allowing people to generate a ridiculous amount of AI slop (sometimes even illegal and pervasive in nature) in hopes of securing a bag or getting off of something. It is basically a complete 180 of what we expected the internet to be many years ago, and as someone who's born a control freak with trust issues, its absolutely heartbreaking (let alone extremely exhausting) to feel like some entity is watching my every move until I make some deviation and punish me for being out of line. To think that you are still free to peruse the internet and use your computer without worrying about someone spying on you is complete bullshit, and the fact that so many people, not to mention children, are being knowingly or unknowingly groomed into this level of abuse and paranoia is absolutely unethical in my humble opinion.

And that is why, starting in 2026, I need to seriously scale back what I'm doing, and relocate to platforms where they at least treat me as an free-thinking adult, or have the least evasive age-assurance practices. The following is what I plan to do throughout this year.

What I Plan to Use from Now On:

• Newgrounds - I originally moved most of my operations here after I left DA and honestly, I love the fact that this community is tightly-knit, and hasn't succumbed to many of the corporate pressures over the past couple of years (shoutout to @TomFulp for keeping it that way at the cost of anything). I've really enjoyed sharing my artwork here and interacting with the community when I have the time to do so, and I am really liking how paying for Supporter (or waiting until your account is 10 years old) is the way to verify that you are an adult. I have lots of plans coming up with what I want to do here, so I'm looking forward to staying here. And hey, if the day comes where I need to pay for Supporter to prove I'm an adult, I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is for this website. (Technically they use Yoti which is again suspect at best but I think that paying for Supporter to have the option to do the test does lead to a net-good)
• ArtFight - I remember some friends introducing it to me back in the day, and I am glad that they did, because ever since I started participating in 2023, it has been the one thing I always look forward to doing in the summer, and has even helped me get better at being an artist. I will continue to use this platform for many years to come, and hey, if you happen to like the characters I have, don't feel discouraged to attack me during the month of July!
• Kick - As a possible replacement to streaming, because I love doing that once in a blue moon, I'm open to use any alternative platform, and Kick might seem to be one of the better programs. Sure, Kick doesn't have the best reputation, but if you move past all of that, they actually have something good as a platform. The fact that you can hide Gambling and Hot Tub Streams in settings is already a huge plus for me, and I'm looking forward to eventually doing my first Kick stream once I have access to Ethernet again.
• Rumble - This is really subject to change, but just like Kick, I'm willing to experiment with alternatives to Big Tech. While I do not plan to dabble into the politics that are constantly shown on their front page, I am looking forward to giving it a shot and hey, if I like it there better than YouTube, it might just be my new home for all my videos. I think the fact that you only have to verify your age by typing in your birthday is enough to convince me to try it out.
• Linux - I've been using Linux since 2020, and to be honest, I feel like I have more control with my system on Linux than I do with Windows (and sometimes Android b/c of fucking evil Google). As of now, 99% of my workflow comes from open-source software, so switching to Linux has been pretty seamless for me. As for the other 1%, I'll have to figure out how to emulate those programs using Wine or Steam, but I'm willing to try it out and it even sounds like fun.

What I am Going to Scale Back:

• YouTube - Ever since I was a kid, one of my dream jobs was to become a video editor because I was always passionate about making videos. So imagine my excitement when I was finally able to start my YouTube account just before I graduated high school back in 2021. Unfortunately, the YouTube I knew and grew up with is no longer here and has been replaced with an absolute shitshow that has become one of my main stressors. It also doesn't help that Google's faulty AI thinks that I'm a kid, which has turned our relationship into an abusive one which significantly limits my ability to use YouTube and other Google Services. I also have accumulated a long backlog of videos that I've been trying to dig out of since the Summer of 2024, which I'm slowly chipping away through sheer willpower and passion, but it limits my ability to brainstorm new ideas for videos. This is why I'm going to try to get those videos done as soon as possible, preferably before the end of 2026. Once that backlog is finally done, there's a very good chance that I'll leave YouTube altogether to allow my mental to heal and to start on a clean slate elsewhere.
• Discord - This is pretty much the whole reason why I am writing this post to begin with. After finding out the recent news that Discord is dabbling into AI-surveillance sponsored by some creepy-acting mfs, I don't feel safe to use Discord as frequently as I have in the past. Fortunately for me, I have only used Discord to talk with some long-time friends (and be in like one or two community servers), and nowadays I am able to talk with my friends by other means (primarily SMS or Face-To-Face), so I don't have to worry so much about it. It will just get more annoying for me to use Discord if they think that I am a kid though.
• Windows - I've been an avid supporter for Windows 10 since I got my Dell Inspiron 5559 back in 2016, and over the last 10 years, my workflow heavily relied on daily driving Windows 10. I even downgraded one of my newer laptops from Windows 11 to Windows 10 because it was that detrimental to my workflow. However, because Microslop had the bright idea to force auto-updates (and force all of the AI slop that I don't want) onto me, I personally cannot recommend people to use Windows 10 anymore. Fortunately for me, I've been shifting my workflow to be Linux-first and Android-second over the past couple of years, and there is honestly only three (maybe four) applications that I regularly use that require Windows. So, what I would like to do is downgrade to Windows 7 or 8 for those specific apps. This will require some understanding of security and being more cautious about what and where I connect my computer to, but if I can control when and how my computer connects to the internet, then everything should be fine.

What I Have Archived/Deleted:

• DeviantArt - My page has been collecting dust ever since I left DA in 2024, and is only being used to upload some of my way older art to troll with the AI models they have. Don't expect any of my newer art to show up here.
• Twitch - I don't use Twitch anymore because I deactivated my account, and hopefully it becomes permanently deleted. It was fun experimenting with it for a bit, but I don't like the fact that the entire platform is literally one Dan Clancy controversy or one Terrorist Supporter away from having a RICO investigation launched on them, and I personally would prefer not be indirectly involved in any of that shit.

Anyways, that's really all I have to say. It's getting late and I need to touch some grass before going to bed. See y'all later.

-Tylermsa