So much to unpack.

Trying to live without U.S. tech, I would find out, essentially amounts to trying to live without tech at all.

No. It’s just different tech. I for one live with a lot of tech, but no US tech at all.

You know, it’s possible to research products before choosing it. It’s not necessary to live in a cave just to avoid US tech.

This sentence makes it sound like an impossible that should not even be started, which it isn’t.

The so-called dumbphone is the type of device now enjoying a second life among people detoxing from screen time and is also a favorite of drug dealers seeking to avoid getting busted by any tracking and data collection.

This fails to mention that dump phones still lead to metadata collection nerwork-side, using it for drug dealing is just dumb. Drug dealers that are a bit more smart would use Signal and perhaps a Google-free Android ROM.

I did notice that I was pacing up and down my flat because my usually overstimulated brain apparently couldn’t handle focusing on a voice-only call.

Doesn’t mean it’s hard to live without the US tech, it means US tech is making live harder.

Swearing off Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+ and YouTube was also part of the deal — already eliminating a sizable chunk of my leisure time.

Perhaps the author should look for a hobby?

Also, I see two critical areas where things need to change:

• communication: Just use XMPP. Find a provider in the EU. Fascists can do a lot of damage when they control your communication.
• money: blocking flows of money can hurt us pretty bad and just the US knowing those flows is already bad