The Digital Exodus

I'm not giving up and neither should you.
They need us more than we need them.
This is how we take our power back.
We’re watching the foundations of democracy, climate justice, and truth itself fall away, and many people are asking, “What can we actually do?” Here’s one concrete, overlooked step:  We migrate. We unplug. We reclaim our digital and economic power.

Big Tech companies like Meta, X, Google, Amazon, Apple (+ TikTok) - are not benevolent or even neutral platforms. They are actively profiting from surveillance, division, addiction, mental health crises, and, in some cases, enabling political and climate collapse.

These companies may seem like giants, but the truth is, they only have the power we gave them - with our time, our data, our attention, and our scrolling. And we can take it back.

Migrating off the Big 5 Platforms - Basic Steps

  • Amazon - Stop buying on Amazon; cancel Amazon Prime, and any subscriptions related to it, including the Washington Post.
  • Apple: Put off buying new Apple products, buy refurbished, cancel Apple subscriptions (+TV, News, Music). use Spotify instead of Apple Music as a transition platform.
  • Meta: Deactivate or delete Meta platforms (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Threads), or else drastically reduce use and delete the Apps off your phone.
  • Google - Migrate off Gmail (forward to another web-based email like Proton); switch from Chrome browser to DuckDuckGo or Firefox, use a non-google search engine like yahoo as much as possible; use MapQuest instead of Google Maps (even Apple Maps is better as they don't monetize your data and have much better privacy.)
  • X - delete or deactivate

TikTok was added to the list after its ownership change in September 2025. Suggestion for influencers who have TikTok and Instagram followings, choose one, drop the other in the near-term. Gradually move your audience over to other platforms (Upscrolled, BlueSky, Substack, Mastodon)
Remember – Progress not perfection. Aim for a C or B- (70-80%). If you can only do 4 out of 5, or disconnect from 75% of the apps, that is wonderful!

Download the Exodus Guidebook

The Exodus Guidebook is a resource with lists of alternative platforms along with links to other guidebooks and information about Big Tech, privacy and digital sovereignty.
digital_exodus_guidebook_20260325.pdf
File Size: 9456 kb
File Type: pdf
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Download the PDF

About the Movement

The Digital Exodus is a peaceful migration off the Big 5 Tech monopolies (Meta, X, Google, Amazon and Apple) that have embedded themselves, without our consent, into- our lives and our government. What once felt like tools for connection have become the infrastructure of addiction, manipulation, and social control. They've sold our data, eroded our privacy, amplified division and now stand complicit in a corporate-backed coup that threatens both the foundations of our democracy and the lives of billions around the world through climate denial and delay.

Since meaningful migration takes time, the Exodus is a journey that is all about progress, not perfection.
  • April 22, 2025 - Earth Day - marked the launch for early movers to scout out the terrain ahead and experiment with new platforms and processes. From there more are joining and we keep moving.
  • November 5, 2025 - Media Liberation Day - We collaborated with Media Revolution sharing and cross promoting each other's material.
  • March 28, 2026 - "Defund Broligarchy" - in person campaign at No Kings III in the U.S.
  • The goal is to keep moving, amplifying and expanding until we reach a critical mass in the U.S. and beyond that can’t be ignored.

This doesn't have to be perfect. The goal is to reduce your Big Tech use by 60-80% with in 3 months of when you start. What matters is participation—at scale.

Why does migrating off Big Tech Matter?

Because attention is power. Data is power. Dollars are power. By withdrawing those from the Big 5, we:
  • Weaken the monopolies accelerating authoritarian control
  • Rebuild our collective voice and diversify the tools we use to connect and organize
  • Shift power back into human hands, where it belongs, an essential step for meaningful climate action. 
  • Free our emotions from toxic algorithmic control that has shaped public emotion and thought for over a decade
If enough of us pull away our attention from these apps and devices, we interrupt their economic model and their influence pipeline, reduce their power, and ultimately create an opening to influence what comes next.

Emotional Appeal Videos

Some creative videos aiming to convey the importance and urgency of this moment through music and poetry. Music is not my own, and these are not-for-profit, which is why I've been allowed to use the songs.

Check them out and share them with people you think would resonate.

Media

More images on Defund the Oligarchy Campaign page

Theme Song

The Movement's Theme Song

Exodus Soundtrack

At the April 12th Bernie Sanders/AOC rally in Los Angeles, CA Bernie reminded us to not forget joy in the revolution, to remember to sing and dance our way to change.