Current Tools for a More Chill Internet (living)
Keeping this as a somewhat "live" post to document tools I'm currently using to tailor my web experience. I've become increasingly more convinced that fully unplugging is unsustainable and maybe even at times irresponsible. Instead mindfulness and removing the algorithms colonizing our attention for profit must be our first order of defense in era of increasing tech oligarchy.
Zen Browser
https://zen-browser.app/
Reformed Arc user here. I switched back to firefox awhile ago but after the current mission statement and policy changes it was time to jump ship yet again. It being open source and firefox based means it works perfectly fine for me about 99% of the time and I haven't had any major issues. I also love that it's taken some of the best aesthetic cues from my beloved Arc without all the AI hype bullshit.
Unhook Youtube
https://unhook.app/
As a heavy youtube user since my early teens this plugin has become one of the most valuable daily drivers I've found. From completely removing shorts, or the algorithmic feed completely you can tune it to whatever fits your needs. I like to keep it pretty heavily tuned up and use the setting to send straight to the sub page to keep things super clean. You can always toggle it off when you want to go down on a little exploration mission. I also find that having your subscription page be your default experience helps me keep up with creators I care about more easily and encourages me to keep my sub list clean.
Kagi Search
https://kagi.com/
This is a newer addition but I've been trying to find an alternative to google search as the AI + Sponsored results have continued to make it less and less useable by the day. I know a lot of people switch to DuckDuckGo, but as I understand it those are still just repackaged google results, and you'll never catch my ass searching bing on purpose. Kagi brings the promise of search free from tracking and data-farming, but at a price. I've been using the $5/mo plan for a few months and have no complaints. I haven't really had any issues finding what I need. If anything it feels like resetting back to a more useable era of google. The small web search feature also makes it easy and fun to poke around the weirder corners of the net. Frankly I've always been someone who is willing to pay for apps that work well, and I don't love a subscription model but for now this one feels worth it. They do have some "AI" features with an Assistant and FastGPT which might be a turn off for the ultra LLM wary folks but I've never touched it once and it's not forced down your throat you can use the service however you see fit.