Can you make ethical choices when oligarchs run the world?

Hell if I know. I’m just a guy with a full-time job trying to write some books on the side to fulfill the endless urge to create, and earn a little extra $ for my family one day.

Why am I bringing this up?

With the TikTok ban looming and Zuckerberg flowing whichever direction he thinks will put more money in his pocket, people are FLOCKING to places like RedNote (I have other thoughts on this), and summarily dispensing with the Meta apps. The logic being that if our government is going to sell out to tech billionaires and let them take over, then let’s stick it too them and go somewhere else. If facts no longer matter, then chew on this fact: we’re leaving.

But how many ethical choices can we make in a single day when it comes to where our money and time goes, especially when it seems like everything is tied up in greed, politics, and ideals?

My family is trying, we really are. We buy a full cow from a local farm. We go to the farmer’s market or a local farm for veggies as often as we can. We tried sourcing ethically made clothing for our kids (good luck with that by the way). We check ingredients and research food, and even grow our own vegetables when we can. We don’t support anti-LGBTQ+ businesses when we know about it. We give to charities. I don’t use ANY AI in my writing, art, or promotional material. We try to cut out red dye. We use home remedies from a local apothecary as often as possible. We’re trying to teach our children about consumerism and how quickly it can suck you in. I vote consistently for progressive values and equality. I have a list of authors I won’t read because of the stances they take. I already cut out Twitter. I write inclusive, LGBTQ+ friendly, anti-toxic masculinity, anti-establishment, anti-corruption, sexually explorative, punk books and dark romances.

But it’s draining: financially, mentally, and emotionally. I’ve got two kids under 7, and am watching the American middle-class die while wondering how to stay even in the bottom tier of it. Both my wife and I work full-time jobs AND have artistic side hustles to try and fill creative holes in our lives and bring in some extra $ as inflation marches on. We’re up late, up early, and busting our butts on social media—all while trying to limit screen time in front of our children and maintain a healthy relationship with each other.

And now I’m being told to stick the middle finger to Meta and find an ethical app to promote my books because Meta is the Wild West of false information, bigotry, and misogyny.

I’d love to, I really would—but I can’t.

Look, I get the irony. I have a dark Oceanpunk fantasy book series that’s all about anti-establishment, going against the status quo, and bringing corrupt governments and oligarchs to their knees. I write them, because I’m about at the limit of what I—a real human being who doesn’t live in a fantasy world (but definitely in a dystopia) and with limited time and resources—can do. I pay the ethical tax to Zuckerberg and Bezos like so many others, because there just aren’t a lot of other good options.

Or maybe I’m making excuses.

Or maybe I’m just rambling because I’m frustrated.

It’s probably both, but the point is I don’t know what else to do. Sometimes it feels like ethical choices are a privilege; a privilege that only comes when the financial burdens are lifted, and you’re free to spend your money and time the way you want. So what are we to do when ethics come with a price tag and we can’t pay it?

If I leave Meta, my books die—that’s just a fact. I’m working on building a presence in other areas, but it’s a slow process. It took 1-1/2 years to build the small presence I have on TikTok and Instagram, so any switch I make is going to be ground zero. So if making an ethical choice in my social media has to be a slow move that’s not fast enough for other people, what do you do?

I don’t really have any answers, and I may not keep this post—but I needed to vent.

The point of it all is this: I’ll be using Meta apps until it becomes logical for my indie side business to fully make a move. In the meantime, I’ll be exploring other venues and would love some suggestions that make sense.

Thanks for listening to me whine.