I threw out the Google Home device we kept in the kitchen on a whim. It was simply an off day. I was trying to get dinner going, and I kept asking Google to turn the volume down. But when it was unresponsive too many times, it went straight to the trash.
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It wasn’t something I had been thinking about doing, but when I did, it felt immediately freeing.
But then I did regret it a little. I began to think of all the ways Google had improved our lives. I liked saying, “Good morning, Google,” for instance, and hearing the local weather, a corny joke, and then the news. It was an easy way to feel caught up without putting in much effort.
But then I noticed the effects my decision had on my family.
I enjoyed the conveniences Google allowed me while cooking
While cooking, I liked asking Google whether the dogs could eat some random food I wanted to share with them. “Hey Google, can dogs eat mango?” Similarly, when I was preparing meals, I’d ask about the nutritional content of certain ingredients.
Otherwise, my favorite thing was that I could play any music at any time simply by saying something like, “Hey Google, play The Smiths.” I’ve always loved having music on in the kitchen while I cook or clean up, and it was neat at first to play music so easily.
But Google often misunderstood what we were asking or didn’t respond at all, so we ended up yelling at it. I’d often tell my family to be nice, even if it’s inanimate. But even I have to admit that it always did feel awkward talking to Google, no matter how polite I was.
I could blame my mood that day for throwing it out, but I think I had been growing weary of it for a while. Besides how hostile I had noticed we all had become when interacting with Google, I had grown weary of its presence. Even when we didn’t use it, it was hard to ignore that it was still there, waiting to be of use.
The adjustments I made turned out to be more beneficial
After a couple of weeks, I had a Bluetooth speaker that I could pair with my cellphone for music in the kitchen. It only takes slightly longer to pick up my phone, pick something out to listen to, and then pair it. I never have to become exasperated again because Google plays the wrong thing, since I’m taking the extra two seconds to find something myself instead.
Then I started doing things like taking notes on things to remember or research later, instead of asking Google everything. If I wanted to know more about something in the moment, I’d take a second to stop and look something up on my phone. I found that by writing things down or reading about something, I’m actually retaining the information.
The best part of removing Google from my cooking process is that I get to skip talking to it. I never felt comfortable shouting out commands to do things like skip a song or lower the volume. It wasn’t the way I would speak to anyone else, and that stood out to me —especially when I noticed my son consistently yelling at Google during every interaction with it.
Our family time feels calmer, and we’ve been speaking more kindly overall
With the Google Home gone, I’ve noticed that we have been speaking more kindly to each other at home. Our kitchen and living area feel so much more peaceful, and I’m even growing to appreciate the quiet sometimes. I hadn’t ever noticed just how much tension the device was creating until it wasn’t there anymore.
Finding practical ways to adapt without Google was empowering. But the most valuable benefit has been our collective mood at home.
By removing Google, I removed a stressor from our lives that I hadn’t even seen as an issue before.
Editor’s note: Google did not respond to a request for comment.
