Correct. And everyone needs to remember the actual problem, not the symptom. Its like leaving one social media platform for another then when it too goes to crap complaining. Oh how can this happen again!?

If you look at the foundations of the OS the pattern becomes clear. They release a concept of an OS, but its half baked and not implemented well. So they fix it and rebrand it, and that’s the “good” version.

95 became 98

ME became XP

Vista became 7

10 became 10 - they broke pattern by wanting to stay in a perpetual 10 state and keep updating it (which is why it was around 10 years). 10 was not good when it launched and took years to fix it, essentially becoming its own replacement.

I don’t really fault them when they don’t know there is an alternative. And the alternative isn’t clear cut and/or very good.

I do fault them for when they think that the platform is the solution and don’t expect the same thing to happen.

My work around was keeping the phone number but not on my phone so I never lose it like that.

Specifically I ported it to Google voice where its just parked with no monthly cost (there was a 1 time port cost). I’m not logged in to voice ever so the anti-privacy of google doesn’t apply. Any text messages I receive get forwarded to a non google email (but thats few and far between).

I’m sure there are other similar options out there, but I did what I knew and its been fine.

I feel you on that. Even not being on xyz social trend of the day you still get exposed to the mentality of it by the people that are. To some extent that’s fine, but it can get old really quickly.

I don’t want to doom scroll all day and night. I don’t want to socialize on media and follow people or have followers. Random people are not my entertainment. I don’t need my phone in my hand 24/7.

My take is that I will live my life by my culture. If people see me be me and follow my example, great. If people think I’m a weirdo, oh well I’ll just go do my own thing.