“What difference would boycotting Big Tech make?” is a question we’re always asked. It’s the voice of self-doubt that nags us every day. It’s true that Google, Meta and all these tech companies have billions of users all over the world—Wolfbound Books is only one of them. Deleting and deactivating our accounts won’t even make a dent as more users sign up every day. It might seem like we are a lone wolf going against these giants, but we know that we are not alone. We are part of a growing resistance. We are not just deleting one account or stopping a single transaction, we are divesting our lives from Big Tech from here on out. That’s up to 30 years of consumer lifespan being liberated from the capitalist machine. Even if just one person follows our example, the impact will already be doubled. That is the power of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Small consistent actions over time can create real change. A drop of water can send ripples across the ocean.
As of 1 July 2025, Wolfbound Books has switched off our online shop and re-invested our time and resources towards nurturing our offline community, enriching our physical spaces, and investing in in-person events. We hope to continue to run monthly Open Days and zine workshops from our studio at the Arts & Cultural Exchange in Parramatta, participate in zine fairs and book fairs across Australia and abroad, and collaborate with other artist-run community initiatives. If we are successful, you won’t hear about it.
We are fully aware that we will lose income and patrons by going in this direction but, true to our ethos, it is Art that sustains us, not profit. This is exactly how things were done back in the 90s, I remember, and look how creative and resilient we turned out! Now more than ever, we need to challenge the status quo, shift our mindsets and be the change we want to see in the world. We all have rights by virtue of being human but it’s up to us to uphold them.
“If you’re lucky, you realise early on that each decision you make answers a question that all of us muddle through: how to build meaning in our lives. Meaning is not something you stumble across or what someone gives you; you build it through every choice you make, the commitments you choose, the people you love, and the values you hold dear.”
– Maria Ressa, How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight For Our Future
