The Great Unplug: Trading Big Tech for Good Food and Analog Records

If you have been looking for me on the usual social media channels lately, you are going to come up empty-handed. I recently made the decision to permanently delete my Meta accounts, and honestly? It feels incredibly freeing.

The era of mainstream social media—at least in its current, unregulated form—is largely dead. What was once a place to connect has morphed into an exhausting landscape of fraud, fake profiles, and zero accountability from the top.

The Cost of Unregulated Tech

We have reached a point where social media feels less like a community and more like a mandatory, unseen subscription fee we are all paying with our data and our peace of mind. The sheer volume of fraud facilitated by these platforms is staggering, and what is worse is the complete lack of liability. When huge tech companies refuse to take responsibility for the scams and fake profiles running rampant on their networks, the burden of policing that fraud falls on everyday taxpayers and public systems. They took my account, without accountability.

Imo it's time to create a class action lawsuits against big tech companies because why oh why should the little guy the struggling taxpayer have to work to pay the bills of the police fighting fraud that is being facilitated by major tech companies?

It is time for a shift. For my fellow Canadians, there are local alternatives like Gander worth exploring. On a global scale, it makes sense for nations to start developing their own secure, nationalized networks to actually protect their citizens, rather than serving them up to algorithms.

The Ultimate Irony

The final straw for me was the realization of how deeply invasive the algorithm has become. Decades ago, I was seemingly slapped with a "stalker" label by the system simply for viewing public promotional pages. The irony? Facebook itself was literally founded on the premise of a "Hot or Not" stalking game.

These massive platforms do not have individuals sitting at desks watching us, but their algorithms track every click, pause, and scroll to build relentless data profiles. They eroded our privacy, kept the data for decades, and tried to flip the script on the users. I am opting out. If people want to discuss me on those platforms, they can talk amongst themselves. I am officially moving on. Literally, Facebook you are stalking people.

A New Kind of "Hot or Not"

Stepping away from the digital noise has opened up a lot of room for creativity here at Smart Pig Kitchen.

Instead of participating in toxic algorithms that judge people, I am bringing the "Hot or Not" concept back to where it belongs: food.

A great cook I once knew offered the ultimate, simple advice for judging a dish:

Would you eat it?

That is the energy we are bringing forward. Expect fun, honest, and completely harmless content rating recipes, ingredients, and culinary creations. It is going to be about celebrating good food, sharing great ideas, and leaving the drama behind.

Returning to Analog

I miss a world that had a little bit of privacy. Taking a step back from big tech means reclaiming those quiet moments. These days, I am finding immense joy in simply putting on a vinyl record and listening to it in pure, analog warmth—completely untracked, unmonitored, and unbothered by technology.

Welcome to the new era of Smart Pig Kitchen. Grab a plate, put on a good record, and let’s get cooking.