I self-identify as an nblob, a non-binary little object.
I think this is the solution to the problem OP is having, the same thing happened to my instance since I used configs before this was spotted, after changing it to match this commit, the subscriptions work again, but only new posts come in.
I agree that generative AI is polluting the wider mainstream internet, turn every corner and you will see AI being mentioned or used ad nauseum. I also agree that captologist algorithms are addictive. But to disagree, I think you should still have faith in the wider population. The dopamine addicts are a fraction of the total population. I believe it is possible to outsmart AI driven captology. To give this up means giving into fatalism that AI technology is somehow “stronger than us” and will “enslave us”. I think this is x-risk speak and it’s being utilized by big AI to fear-monger and control public sentiment (which seems to be effective given the numerous articles from mainstream tech outlet).
That being said, I also don’t have a perfect way out for those who have fully embraced mainstream tech and services. Seems like they don’t care about their privacy because they have “nothing to hide”, are easily sold “privacy-friendly” solutions that are still shady (ahem Brave) and part of the problem, maybe they will care when their own bubble bursts. It’s hard to tell an addict to quit cold turkey.
I’ll share what I’m doing: stick to FOSS, use the Fediverse, run Linux and GrapheneOS, I also self-host a lot of services I rely on, don’t use any social media besides pseudo-anonymous forums, and only using second hand devices and parts. I’m exposed to the internet daily and have managed to avoid the generative AI plague and captology algorithms. I don’t view my relationship with technology as parasitic or unhealthy.
Also, you might be interested in this: https://permacomputing.net/
No worries, they’re just being considerate by “preemptively saving” all hexbears from the inconvenience of experiencing constant outage every day.
Hmmm, that isn’t open source, I don’t know if one can trust it. Why does a browser need in-app purchases? Try Mull or Cromite.
Edit: from the description, it uses Brave Search (to answer you question), so it doesn’t send to Google your queries. But I’d be careful with an app with a bunch of SEO keywords in its description.