This was written in October 2022 as a response to a conversation I had - generally I can expand upon my thoughts a little better if I'm given time to think it out and write it down.
In principle I would like to agree with you - what you see before you in a computer usually is rather demonic. You're seeing Microsoft, Apple, Google, Netflix, Disney, Facebook, commercial video games, consumerism and advertisements, to name a few. You're not seeing a general purpose computer - you're seeing a machine that is built to use and abuse you. You're seeing a machine that works for its creators and their ends, not for you. These ends are rather obvious to anyone who's been keeping an eye on these companies, or can read between the lines of the marketing drivel. Beyond profit, they push their goals and values: transhumanism, the destruction of the family, totalitarian control of all information and its flow, and the erosion of truth.
But we know there's one Truth. We reject the ends of these misguided corporations. I think there's a way to do that but also still use and enjoy these tools. One can't ignore their usefulness. There are many tasks they can automate, they help further the ends of scientific discovery, and can generally give humans more time back to spend with each other. I work from home thanks to the capability of the Internet, don't have to spend time commuting anymore, and I can spend more time on things that matter.
However, often computers don't do this - they create an alternate universe that sucks in unsuspecting users, keeping them there with addictive techniques, fearmongering, trickery, and false convenience. I realize that something like Facebook has a surface-level use case - one can use it to communicate with friends and family - but the true purpose is deeper than that, and it's hard for many people to recognize. A discerning user should investigate more about the thing they are using and its true purpose, and pick the best option. Or, if there isn't a good option, maybe live without! However, the modern world convinces us that we can't live without these things at all...
We can't blame the actions of a corrupted or addicted user on the computer; those are the fault of the provider of addictive substances and the weaknesses of the user who falls prey to them. If for example I chose to use my computer to post heresy on Facebook and look at porn, it would be a bad use of a good tool. Same thing if I chose to rob a store with the aid of a gun; it's not the gun's fault. If I used an iPhone to call my mom, I'm still trying to do a good thing with a bad device, even though we're both getting spied on because of the choice of an iPhone.
I think computers are really complicated and can't be easily distilled down into "these things are demonic". You have to look at the software and the hardware, see how each is made, why it's made, and who it works for. Then, good computers have to be used for good purposes. The computers I own work for me and my family. I'm as certain as one can be that they're free from spyware, malware, and external control. We are free from the oppressive "big tech" regimes that everyone complains about and our lives aren't any worse off. I get to do cool, fun things with my computers. But that came at a cost of time spent doing lots of research and familiarizing myself with often less user-friendly tools. I am the "tech support" for my family and others I've given Free computers, though often they need less help with the good computers; I wonder why.
However, I can guarantee you that almost every computer you've seen (the notable exception being mine) has demonic tendencies. A brand-new Windows computer comes with Netflix, TikTok, Disney+, and Candy Crush pre-installed. These things want to control you, to dope you up, and make you stupid. I think that smartphone usage makes people dull and uninteresting. I agree with you on many points. But I can't see all computers as bad, because it's how we choose to use them, and how they're put together, that matters.
PS: I recognize that much of computer technology is built by slaves in China. This is obviously a bad thing. It can be mitigated in part by buying used, as often as one can. This obviously saves the purchased device from the landfill, usually saves the buyer some cash, and does not force the construction of a new device by slaves. Sometimes one must buy a new device, but it's important to be mindful then, too, by figuring out where things are made, what the company's policies are, and only buying from groups that support ethical manufacturing.
PPS: I called my lifestyle "low tech". I think it's a bit of a misrepresentation. I do have a lot of computers, and other technology things, but they're carefully chosen and do exactly what I want. "Low tech" maybe isn't a good representation of my lifestyle. "Small tech" (as a foil to "big tech") is a better way of putting it.