#ludditeclub — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #ludditeclub, aggregated by home.social.
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Oberlin #Luddites Reject "Year of #AI Exploration" Adopted by School
September 19, 2025
To President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Oberlin Community:
We are drafting this letter to you on a typewriter that is over 70 years old; this is a machine that we know well. With it, we ditch the crutches of spell-check and generative AI, and we think intently about every phrase we pound out. As we force ourselves, for once, to slow down, we engage in an inner dialogue.
Most of us did not enroll at Oberlin in search of superficial perfection, nor of lazy convenience. Rather, we chose it for its quirky individualism and a tangible education — the challenging of our young minds’ potential, not the chasing of institutional “gold-star” approval.
This college, which was built on a legacy of learning and labor, now risks straying from these principles. With ChatGPT at the helm, our emails, essays, and discussion posts will be generated for us. Not by us. And let’s not fool ourselves. This is precisely what these platforms will be used for.
You claim that this year will be one of “experimentation,” not adoption. But even one semester of accepted (even encouraged) chat-bot use will jettison our student body down a lazy, irredeemable tunnel of intellectual destruction.
We see this fetish for efficiency in other ways at this college: in the takeover of our beloved library cafe by a “bookstore” with no books in stock and an app replacing customer service — through automated instead of hand-pulled coffee.
Who gains from this if not the students? Sam Altman of ChatGPT and Sundar Pichai of Gemini may be plying their wares to colleges at low or no cost, but it’s no secret that every engagement with these platforms is an effort in surveillance in which our data is extracted and monetized. President Ambar, as you embark on your year of AI, we’ll embark on our own year of self-actualization — of realizing the fruits of our labor, and of embracing human imperfection and raw inquiry. We reject information technologies operating out of data centers that guzzle water and precious energy sources (and that contradict our campus’ carbon-neutral policy). We will not stand by and witness the further atrophying of our liberal arts education. Rather than strengthening Silicon Valley, we build our own skills and generative sweat. We urge all members of the Oberlin community who feel similarly to join us and sign our “AI-Opt-Out Letter.”
As for you, President Ambar, we ask that you terminate the College’s contract with Google Gemini and OpenAI. Our position may risk disapproval, perceived backwardness, and the outward appearance of naiveté. But let us not ask what the Silicon Valley oligarchs can do for Oberlin students, but what Oberlin students can do for ourselves while we still have the brain capacity to do so.
–The Oberlin Luddite Club
Charlie Mclaughlin, Logan Lane, Mary Claire McGreivey, Simon Puchner-Noel, Marlowe Blantz, and Sawyer Van Dyck
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Oberlin #Luddites Reject "Year of #AI Exploration" Adopted by School
September 19, 2025
To President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Oberlin Community:
We are drafting this letter to you on a typewriter that is over 70 years old; this is a machine that we know well. With it, we ditch the crutches of spell-check and generative AI, and we think intently about every phrase we pound out. As we force ourselves, for once, to slow down, we engage in an inner dialogue.
Most of us did not enroll at Oberlin in search of superficial perfection, nor of lazy convenience. Rather, we chose it for its quirky individualism and a tangible education — the challenging of our young minds’ potential, not the chasing of institutional “gold-star” approval.
This college, which was built on a legacy of learning and labor, now risks straying from these principles. With ChatGPT at the helm, our emails, essays, and discussion posts will be generated for us. Not by us. And let’s not fool ourselves. This is precisely what these platforms will be used for.
You claim that this year will be one of “experimentation,” not adoption. But even one semester of accepted (even encouraged) chat-bot use will jettison our student body down a lazy, irredeemable tunnel of intellectual destruction.
We see this fetish for efficiency in other ways at this college: in the takeover of our beloved library cafe by a “bookstore” with no books in stock and an app replacing customer service — through automated instead of hand-pulled coffee.
Who gains from this if not the students? Sam Altman of ChatGPT and Sundar Pichai of Gemini may be plying their wares to colleges at low or no cost, but it’s no secret that every engagement with these platforms is an effort in surveillance in which our data is extracted and monetized. President Ambar, as you embark on your year of AI, we’ll embark on our own year of self-actualization — of realizing the fruits of our labor, and of embracing human imperfection and raw inquiry. We reject information technologies operating out of data centers that guzzle water and precious energy sources (and that contradict our campus’ carbon-neutral policy). We will not stand by and witness the further atrophying of our liberal arts education. Rather than strengthening Silicon Valley, we build our own skills and generative sweat. We urge all members of the Oberlin community who feel similarly to join us and sign our “AI-Opt-Out Letter.”
As for you, President Ambar, we ask that you terminate the College’s contract with Google Gemini and OpenAI. Our position may risk disapproval, perceived backwardness, and the outward appearance of naiveté. But let us not ask what the Silicon Valley oligarchs can do for Oberlin students, but what Oberlin students can do for ourselves while we still have the brain capacity to do so.
–The Oberlin Luddite Club
Charlie Mclaughlin, Logan Lane, Mary Claire McGreivey, Simon Puchner-Noel, Marlowe Blantz, and Sawyer Van Dyck
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Oberlin #Luddites Reject "Year of #AI Exploration" Adopted by School
September 19, 2025
To President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Oberlin Community:
We are drafting this letter to you on a typewriter that is over 70 years old; this is a machine that we know well. With it, we ditch the crutches of spell-check and generative AI, and we think intently about every phrase we pound out. As we force ourselves, for once, to slow down, we engage in an inner dialogue.
Most of us did not enroll at Oberlin in search of superficial perfection, nor of lazy convenience. Rather, we chose it for its quirky individualism and a tangible education — the challenging of our young minds’ potential, not the chasing of institutional “gold-star” approval.
This college, which was built on a legacy of learning and labor, now risks straying from these principles. With ChatGPT at the helm, our emails, essays, and discussion posts will be generated for us. Not by us. And let’s not fool ourselves. This is precisely what these platforms will be used for.
You claim that this year will be one of “experimentation,” not adoption. But even one semester of accepted (even encouraged) chat-bot use will jettison our student body down a lazy, irredeemable tunnel of intellectual destruction.
We see this fetish for efficiency in other ways at this college: in the takeover of our beloved library cafe by a “bookstore” with no books in stock and an app replacing customer service — through automated instead of hand-pulled coffee.
Who gains from this if not the students? Sam Altman of ChatGPT and Sundar Pichai of Gemini may be plying their wares to colleges at low or no cost, but it’s no secret that every engagement with these platforms is an effort in surveillance in which our data is extracted and monetized. President Ambar, as you embark on your year of AI, we’ll embark on our own year of self-actualization — of realizing the fruits of our labor, and of embracing human imperfection and raw inquiry. We reject information technologies operating out of data centers that guzzle water and precious energy sources (and that contradict our campus’ carbon-neutral policy). We will not stand by and witness the further atrophying of our liberal arts education. Rather than strengthening Silicon Valley, we build our own skills and generative sweat. We urge all members of the Oberlin community who feel similarly to join us and sign our “AI-Opt-Out Letter.”
As for you, President Ambar, we ask that you terminate the College’s contract with Google Gemini and OpenAI. Our position may risk disapproval, perceived backwardness, and the outward appearance of naiveté. But let us not ask what the Silicon Valley oligarchs can do for Oberlin students, but what Oberlin students can do for ourselves while we still have the brain capacity to do so.
–The Oberlin Luddite Club
Charlie Mclaughlin, Logan Lane, Mary Claire McGreivey, Simon Puchner-Noel, Marlowe Blantz, and Sawyer Van Dyck
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Oberlin #Luddites Reject "Year of #AI Exploration" Adopted by School
September 19, 2025
To President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Oberlin Community:
We are drafting this letter to you on a typewriter that is over 70 years old; this is a machine that we know well. With it, we ditch the crutches of spell-check and generative AI, and we think intently about every phrase we pound out. As we force ourselves, for once, to slow down, we engage in an inner dialogue.
Most of us did not enroll at Oberlin in search of superficial perfection, nor of lazy convenience. Rather, we chose it for its quirky individualism and a tangible education — the challenging of our young minds’ potential, not the chasing of institutional “gold-star” approval.
This college, which was built on a legacy of learning and labor, now risks straying from these principles. With ChatGPT at the helm, our emails, essays, and discussion posts will be generated for us. Not by us. And let’s not fool ourselves. This is precisely what these platforms will be used for.
You claim that this year will be one of “experimentation,” not adoption. But even one semester of accepted (even encouraged) chat-bot use will jettison our student body down a lazy, irredeemable tunnel of intellectual destruction.
We see this fetish for efficiency in other ways at this college: in the takeover of our beloved library cafe by a “bookstore” with no books in stock and an app replacing customer service — through automated instead of hand-pulled coffee.
Who gains from this if not the students? Sam Altman of ChatGPT and Sundar Pichai of Gemini may be plying their wares to colleges at low or no cost, but it’s no secret that every engagement with these platforms is an effort in surveillance in which our data is extracted and monetized. President Ambar, as you embark on your year of AI, we’ll embark on our own year of self-actualization — of realizing the fruits of our labor, and of embracing human imperfection and raw inquiry. We reject information technologies operating out of data centers that guzzle water and precious energy sources (and that contradict our campus’ carbon-neutral policy). We will not stand by and witness the further atrophying of our liberal arts education. Rather than strengthening Silicon Valley, we build our own skills and generative sweat. We urge all members of the Oberlin community who feel similarly to join us and sign our “AI-Opt-Out Letter.”
As for you, President Ambar, we ask that you terminate the College’s contract with Google Gemini and OpenAI. Our position may risk disapproval, perceived backwardness, and the outward appearance of naiveté. But let us not ask what the Silicon Valley oligarchs can do for Oberlin students, but what Oberlin students can do for ourselves while we still have the brain capacity to do so.
–The Oberlin Luddite Club
Charlie Mclaughlin, Logan Lane, Mary Claire McGreivey, Simon Puchner-Noel, Marlowe Blantz, and Sawyer Van Dyck
-
Oberlin #Luddites Reject "Year of #AI Exploration" Adopted by School
September 19, 2025
To President Carmen Twillie Ambar and Oberlin Community:
We are drafting this letter to you on a typewriter that is over 70 years old; this is a machine that we know well. With it, we ditch the crutches of spell-check and generative AI, and we think intently about every phrase we pound out. As we force ourselves, for once, to slow down, we engage in an inner dialogue.
Most of us did not enroll at Oberlin in search of superficial perfection, nor of lazy convenience. Rather, we chose it for its quirky individualism and a tangible education — the challenging of our young minds’ potential, not the chasing of institutional “gold-star” approval.
This college, which was built on a legacy of learning and labor, now risks straying from these principles. With ChatGPT at the helm, our emails, essays, and discussion posts will be generated for us. Not by us. And let’s not fool ourselves. This is precisely what these platforms will be used for.
You claim that this year will be one of “experimentation,” not adoption. But even one semester of accepted (even encouraged) chat-bot use will jettison our student body down a lazy, irredeemable tunnel of intellectual destruction.
We see this fetish for efficiency in other ways at this college: in the takeover of our beloved library cafe by a “bookstore” with no books in stock and an app replacing customer service — through automated instead of hand-pulled coffee.
Who gains from this if not the students? Sam Altman of ChatGPT and Sundar Pichai of Gemini may be plying their wares to colleges at low or no cost, but it’s no secret that every engagement with these platforms is an effort in surveillance in which our data is extracted and monetized. President Ambar, as you embark on your year of AI, we’ll embark on our own year of self-actualization — of realizing the fruits of our labor, and of embracing human imperfection and raw inquiry. We reject information technologies operating out of data centers that guzzle water and precious energy sources (and that contradict our campus’ carbon-neutral policy). We will not stand by and witness the further atrophying of our liberal arts education. Rather than strengthening Silicon Valley, we build our own skills and generative sweat. We urge all members of the Oberlin community who feel similarly to join us and sign our “AI-Opt-Out Letter.”
As for you, President Ambar, we ask that you terminate the College’s contract with Google Gemini and OpenAI. Our position may risk disapproval, perceived backwardness, and the outward appearance of naiveté. But let us not ask what the Silicon Valley oligarchs can do for Oberlin students, but what Oberlin students can do for ourselves while we still have the brain capacity to do so.
–The Oberlin Luddite Club
Charlie Mclaughlin, Logan Lane, Mary Claire McGreivey, Simon Puchner-Noel, Marlowe Blantz, and Sawyer Van Dyck
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More of this, please...!
A college instructor turns to typewriters to curb AI-written work and teach life lessons
By JOCELYN GECKER, March 31, 2026
"The scene is right out of the 1950s with students pecking away at manual typewriters, the machines dinging at the end of each line.
"Once each semester, Grit Matthias Phelps, a German language instructor at Cornell University, introduces her students to the raw feeling of typing without online assistance. No screens, online dictionaries, spellcheckers or delete keys.
"The exercise started in spring 2023 as Phelps grew frustrated with the reality that students were using generative AI and online translation platforms to churn out grammatically perfect assignments.
" 'What’s the point of me reading it if it’s already correct anyway, and you didn’t write it yourself? Could you produce it without your computer?' said Phelps.
"She wanted students to understand what writing, thinking and classrooms were like before everything turned digital. So, she found a few dozen old manual typewriters in thrift shops and online marketplaces, and created what her syllabus calls an 'analog' assignment."
Read more:
https://apnews.com/article/typewriter-ai-cheating-chatgpt-cornell-ce10e1ca0f10c96f79b7d988bb56448b -
Does anybody have suggestions for good MP3 players that are not connected to the internet + no streaming and has a headphone jack?
Bluetooth is okay.
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I'm also looking at ditching my smartwatch which I really love, but do I really need it? And does it really provide any info that I do something about? Probably not.
I am pretty sure a pulse oxometre can be a good replacement for this too.
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I've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button -
I've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button -
I've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button -
I've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button -
I've been starting to play around with being a #Luddite (reducing IoT devices and digital surveillance) and just got a new alarm clock. It was very difficult to find an alarm clock that:
a) wasn't ugly
b) is plug in with battery backup
c) alarm sound options that aren't jarring (beep beep)
d) easy to hit snooze button -
A great of Tech Won’t Save Us about the Luddite Club with a number of High School students that started up a few years ago, how it happened, and what they are up to now.
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Echoes of #Plato: #NeoLuddism — reclaiming the human in the digital age
Making room for humanity in the march of technology
“The machines were their enemies, for the machines were the means by which greedy masters enforced their will.” — – E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (1963)
by Kem-Laurin Lubin, Jan 4, 2025
"Modern neo-Luddism draws inspiration from this historical movement, but rather than opposing all forms of #technology, it critiques the #uncritical adoption of digital tools and automation. Neo-Luddites are not anti-technology per se; instead, they advocate for a more #mindful and selective use of technology, prioritizing human #WellBeing, #EnvironmentalSustainability, and meaningful #SocialInteractions.
"In today’s context, neo-Luddism is less about destroying machines and more about reclaiming control over how technology shapes daily life. It questions the pervasive influence of #smartphones, #SocialMedia, and constant #connectivity, encouraging moments of #disconnection to foster deeper, more authentic human experiences.
"This philosophy underpins the growing trend of 'no-tech meetups,' where individuals come together to temporarily step away from digital distractions and reconnect in more organic, face-to-face ways [Like listening to vinyl records with a friend!]. Neo-Luddites advocate for a conscious retreat from digital dependence, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face communication and preserving human connection without the interference of screens. These gatherings, often called '#LudditeClubs' or 'analog meetups,' create spaces where participants can engage in conversations, activities, and communal experiences free from the distractions of smartphones, social media, and other digital tools.
"The motivations behind this movement are diverse. Some individuals express concerns over privacy and the pervasive #surveillance associated with digital platforms. Some lament the growing loss of #jobs and community. Others seek to combat the social isolation and mental health challenges exacerbated by excessive screen time. #Environmental considerations also play a role, with participants mindful of the ecological impact of #ElectronicWaste and the resource demands of constant technological upgrades."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQNO#Philosophy #RightToRepair #EWaste #PlannedObsolescence #LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #DigitalAge #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth #DatacentersUseTooMuchElectricity
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Echoes of #Plato: #NeoLuddism — reclaiming the human in the digital age
Making room for humanity in the march of technology
“The machines were their enemies, for the machines were the means by which greedy masters enforced their will.” — – E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (1963)
by Kem-Laurin Lubin, Jan 4, 2025
"Modern neo-Luddism draws inspiration from this historical movement, but rather than opposing all forms of #technology, it critiques the #uncritical adoption of digital tools and automation. Neo-Luddites are not anti-technology per se; instead, they advocate for a more #mindful and selective use of technology, prioritizing human #WellBeing, #EnvironmentalSustainability, and meaningful #SocialInteractions.
"In today’s context, neo-Luddism is less about destroying machines and more about reclaiming control over how technology shapes daily life. It questions the pervasive influence of #smartphones, #SocialMedia, and constant #connectivity, encouraging moments of #disconnection to foster deeper, more authentic human experiences.
"This philosophy underpins the growing trend of 'no-tech meetups,' where individuals come together to temporarily step away from digital distractions and reconnect in more organic, face-to-face ways [Like listening to vinyl records with a friend!]. Neo-Luddites advocate for a conscious retreat from digital dependence, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face communication and preserving human connection without the interference of screens. These gatherings, often called '#LudditeClubs' or 'analog meetups,' create spaces where participants can engage in conversations, activities, and communal experiences free from the distractions of smartphones, social media, and other digital tools.
"The motivations behind this movement are diverse. Some individuals express concerns over privacy and the pervasive #surveillance associated with digital platforms. Some lament the growing loss of #jobs and community. Others seek to combat the social isolation and mental health challenges exacerbated by excessive screen time. #Environmental considerations also play a role, with participants mindful of the ecological impact of #ElectronicWaste and the resource demands of constant technological upgrades."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQNO#Philosophy #RightToRepair #EWaste #PlannedObsolescence #LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #DigitalAge #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth #DatacentersUseTooMuchElectricity
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Echoes of #Plato: #NeoLuddism — reclaiming the human in the digital age
Making room for humanity in the march of technology
“The machines were their enemies, for the machines were the means by which greedy masters enforced their will.” — – E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (1963)
by Kem-Laurin Lubin, Jan 4, 2025
"Modern neo-Luddism draws inspiration from this historical movement, but rather than opposing all forms of #technology, it critiques the #uncritical adoption of digital tools and automation. Neo-Luddites are not anti-technology per se; instead, they advocate for a more #mindful and selective use of technology, prioritizing human #WellBeing, #EnvironmentalSustainability, and meaningful #SocialInteractions.
"In today’s context, neo-Luddism is less about destroying machines and more about reclaiming control over how technology shapes daily life. It questions the pervasive influence of #smartphones, #SocialMedia, and constant #connectivity, encouraging moments of #disconnection to foster deeper, more authentic human experiences.
"This philosophy underpins the growing trend of 'no-tech meetups,' where individuals come together to temporarily step away from digital distractions and reconnect in more organic, face-to-face ways [Like listening to vinyl records with a friend!]. Neo-Luddites advocate for a conscious retreat from digital dependence, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face communication and preserving human connection without the interference of screens. These gatherings, often called '#LudditeClubs' or 'analog meetups,' create spaces where participants can engage in conversations, activities, and communal experiences free from the distractions of smartphones, social media, and other digital tools.
"The motivations behind this movement are diverse. Some individuals express concerns over privacy and the pervasive #surveillance associated with digital platforms. Some lament the growing loss of #jobs and community. Others seek to combat the social isolation and mental health challenges exacerbated by excessive screen time. #Environmental considerations also play a role, with participants mindful of the ecological impact of #ElectronicWaste and the resource demands of constant technological upgrades."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQNO#Philosophy #RightToRepair #EWaste #PlannedObsolescence #LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #DigitalAge #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth #DatacentersUseTooMuchElectricity
-
Echoes of #Plato: #NeoLuddism — reclaiming the human in the digital age
Making room for humanity in the march of technology
“The machines were their enemies, for the machines were the means by which greedy masters enforced their will.” — – E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (1963)
by Kem-Laurin Lubin, Jan 4, 2025
"Modern neo-Luddism draws inspiration from this historical movement, but rather than opposing all forms of #technology, it critiques the #uncritical adoption of digital tools and automation. Neo-Luddites are not anti-technology per se; instead, they advocate for a more #mindful and selective use of technology, prioritizing human #WellBeing, #EnvironmentalSustainability, and meaningful #SocialInteractions.
"In today’s context, neo-Luddism is less about destroying machines and more about reclaiming control over how technology shapes daily life. It questions the pervasive influence of #smartphones, #SocialMedia, and constant #connectivity, encouraging moments of #disconnection to foster deeper, more authentic human experiences.
"This philosophy underpins the growing trend of 'no-tech meetups,' where individuals come together to temporarily step away from digital distractions and reconnect in more organic, face-to-face ways [Like listening to vinyl records with a friend!]. Neo-Luddites advocate for a conscious retreat from digital dependence, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face communication and preserving human connection without the interference of screens. These gatherings, often called '#LudditeClubs' or 'analog meetups,' create spaces where participants can engage in conversations, activities, and communal experiences free from the distractions of smartphones, social media, and other digital tools.
"The motivations behind this movement are diverse. Some individuals express concerns over privacy and the pervasive #surveillance associated with digital platforms. Some lament the growing loss of #jobs and community. Others seek to combat the social isolation and mental health challenges exacerbated by excessive screen time. #Environmental considerations also play a role, with participants mindful of the ecological impact of #ElectronicWaste and the resource demands of constant technological upgrades."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQNO#Philosophy #RightToRepair #EWaste #PlannedObsolescence #LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #DigitalAge #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth #DatacentersUseTooMuchElectricity
-
Echoes of #Plato: #NeoLuddism — reclaiming the human in the digital age
Making room for humanity in the march of technology
“The machines were their enemies, for the machines were the means by which greedy masters enforced their will.” — – E.P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (1963)
by Kem-Laurin Lubin, Jan 4, 2025
"Modern neo-Luddism draws inspiration from this historical movement, but rather than opposing all forms of #technology, it critiques the #uncritical adoption of digital tools and automation. Neo-Luddites are not anti-technology per se; instead, they advocate for a more #mindful and selective use of technology, prioritizing human #WellBeing, #EnvironmentalSustainability, and meaningful #SocialInteractions.
"In today’s context, neo-Luddism is less about destroying machines and more about reclaiming control over how technology shapes daily life. It questions the pervasive influence of #smartphones, #SocialMedia, and constant #connectivity, encouraging moments of #disconnection to foster deeper, more authentic human experiences.
"This philosophy underpins the growing trend of 'no-tech meetups,' where individuals come together to temporarily step away from digital distractions and reconnect in more organic, face-to-face ways [Like listening to vinyl records with a friend!]. Neo-Luddites advocate for a conscious retreat from digital dependence, emphasizing the importance of face-to-face communication and preserving human connection without the interference of screens. These gatherings, often called '#LudditeClubs' or 'analog meetups,' create spaces where participants can engage in conversations, activities, and communal experiences free from the distractions of smartphones, social media, and other digital tools.
"The motivations behind this movement are diverse. Some individuals express concerns over privacy and the pervasive #surveillance associated with digital platforms. Some lament the growing loss of #jobs and community. Others seek to combat the social isolation and mental health challenges exacerbated by excessive screen time. #Environmental considerations also play a role, with participants mindful of the ecological impact of #ElectronicWaste and the resource demands of constant technological upgrades."
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/6tQNO#Philosophy #RightToRepair #EWaste #PlannedObsolescence #LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #DigitalAge #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth #DatacentersUseTooMuchElectricity
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Why teens are ditching their smartphones — and how to live without one
Maybe your teen will ditch their smartphone, too. Here’s how they can do itBy Natalie Issa
Published: Aug 10, 2023Excerpt: "A recent study published by APA PsycNet found that limited smartphone use has its benefits.
"For this study, German researches monitored two groups: one group that stopped using smartphones altogether and a second group that reduced smartphone use by one hour everyday. Both groups were monitored over one week.
"While both groups saw an increase in life satisfaction and physical activity, the group that only limited phone use by one hour saw stronger and more sustainable effects over four months. Additionally, this group saw a decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked everyday.
"The study concluded that 'conscious and controlled changes of daily time spent on smartphone use can contribute to subjective well-being (less depressive and anxiety symptoms, less problematic use tendencies, more life satisfaction) and to a healthier lifestyle (more physical activity, less smoking behavior) in the longer term.' "
Read more:
https://www.deseret.com/23583331/teens-smartphones/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/nyDOL#LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth
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Why teens are ditching their smartphones — and how to live without one
Maybe your teen will ditch their smartphone, too. Here’s how they can do itBy Natalie Issa
Published: Aug 10, 2023Excerpt: "A recent study published by APA PsycNet found that limited smartphone use has its benefits.
"For this study, German researches monitored two groups: one group that stopped using smartphones altogether and a second group that reduced smartphone use by one hour everyday. Both groups were monitored over one week.
"While both groups saw an increase in life satisfaction and physical activity, the group that only limited phone use by one hour saw stronger and more sustainable effects over four months. Additionally, this group saw a decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked everyday.
"The study concluded that 'conscious and controlled changes of daily time spent on smartphone use can contribute to subjective well-being (less depressive and anxiety symptoms, less problematic use tendencies, more life satisfaction) and to a healthier lifestyle (more physical activity, less smoking behavior) in the longer term.' "
Read more:
https://www.deseret.com/23583331/teens-smartphones/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/nyDOL#LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth
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Why teens are ditching their smartphones — and how to live without one
Maybe your teen will ditch their smartphone, too. Here’s how they can do itBy Natalie Issa
Published: Aug 10, 2023Excerpt: "A recent study published by APA PsycNet found that limited smartphone use has its benefits.
"For this study, German researches monitored two groups: one group that stopped using smartphones altogether and a second group that reduced smartphone use by one hour everyday. Both groups were monitored over one week.
"While both groups saw an increase in life satisfaction and physical activity, the group that only limited phone use by one hour saw stronger and more sustainable effects over four months. Additionally, this group saw a decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked everyday.
"The study concluded that 'conscious and controlled changes of daily time spent on smartphone use can contribute to subjective well-being (less depressive and anxiety symptoms, less problematic use tendencies, more life satisfaction) and to a healthier lifestyle (more physical activity, less smoking behavior) in the longer term.' "
Read more:
https://www.deseret.com/23583331/teens-smartphones/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/nyDOL#LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth
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Why teens are ditching their smartphones — and how to live without one
Maybe your teen will ditch their smartphone, too. Here’s how they can do itBy Natalie Issa
Published: Aug 10, 2023Excerpt: "A recent study published by APA PsycNet found that limited smartphone use has its benefits.
"For this study, German researches monitored two groups: one group that stopped using smartphones altogether and a second group that reduced smartphone use by one hour everyday. Both groups were monitored over one week.
"While both groups saw an increase in life satisfaction and physical activity, the group that only limited phone use by one hour saw stronger and more sustainable effects over four months. Additionally, this group saw a decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked everyday.
"The study concluded that 'conscious and controlled changes of daily time spent on smartphone use can contribute to subjective well-being (less depressive and anxiety symptoms, less problematic use tendencies, more life satisfaction) and to a healthier lifestyle (more physical activity, less smoking behavior) in the longer term.' "
Read more:
https://www.deseret.com/23583331/teens-smartphones/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/nyDOL#LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth
-
Why teens are ditching their smartphones — and how to live without one
Maybe your teen will ditch their smartphone, too. Here’s how they can do itBy Natalie Issa
Published: Aug 10, 2023Excerpt: "A recent study published by APA PsycNet found that limited smartphone use has its benefits.
"For this study, German researches monitored two groups: one group that stopped using smartphones altogether and a second group that reduced smartphone use by one hour everyday. Both groups were monitored over one week.
"While both groups saw an increase in life satisfaction and physical activity, the group that only limited phone use by one hour saw stronger and more sustainable effects over four months. Additionally, this group saw a decrease in the number of cigarettes they smoked everyday.
"The study concluded that 'conscious and controlled changes of daily time spent on smartphone use can contribute to subjective well-being (less depressive and anxiety symptoms, less problematic use tendencies, more life satisfaction) and to a healthier lifestyle (more physical activity, less smoking behavior) in the longer term.' "
Read more:
https://www.deseret.com/23583331/teens-smartphones/Archived version:
https://archive.ph/nyDOL#LudditeClub #NeoLuddite #UseYourBrain #ReadABook #SmartphoneAddiction #TechAddiction #MentalHealth #BrainHealth
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Should we add "#SkinJobs" and "#Toasters" and "#GoRustYourself" to this list?
How ‘#Clanker’ Became the Internet’s New Favorite Slur
New derogatory phrases are popping up online, thanks to a cultural pushback against #AI
by CT Jones, August 6, 2025
"Clanker. #Wireback. #Cogsucker. People are feeling the inescapable inevitability of AI developments, the encroaching of the digital into everything from entertainment to work. And their answer? Slurs.
"AI is everywhere — on Google summarizing search results and siphoning web traffic from digital publishers, on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook, adding misleading context to viral posts, or even powering #NaziChatbots. #GenerativeAI and #LargeLanguageModels — AI trained on huge datasets — are being used as therapists, consulted for medical advice, fueling spiritual psychosis, directing self-driving cars, and churning out everything from college essays to cover letters to breakup messages.
"Alongside this deluge is a growing sense of discontent from people fearful of artificial intelligence stealing their jobs, and worried what effect it may have on future generations — losing important skills like media #literacy, #ProblemSolving, and #CognitiveFunction. This is the world where the popularity of AI and robot slurs has skyrocketed, being thrown at everything from ChatGPT servers to delivery drones to automated customer service representatives. Rolling Stone spoke with two language experts who say the rise in robot and AI slurs does come from a kind of cultural pushback against AI development, but what’s most interesting about the trend is that it uses one of the only tools AI can’t create: slang
" '#Slang is moving so fast now that an #LLM trained on everything that happened before it is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now,' says Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley. 'Humans [on] #UrbanDictionary are always going to win.' "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ku2Uw#BattlestarGalactica #AIResistance #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #NeoLuddites #ResistAI #LudditeClub #SmartPhoneAddiction #AreYouAlive #AreYouHuman
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Should we add "#SkinJobs" and "#Toasters" and "#GoRustYourself" to this list?
How ‘#Clanker’ Became the Internet’s New Favorite Slur
New derogatory phrases are popping up online, thanks to a cultural pushback against #AI
by CT Jones, August 6, 2025
"Clanker. #Wireback. #Cogsucker. People are feeling the inescapable inevitability of AI developments, the encroaching of the digital into everything from entertainment to work. And their answer? Slurs.
"AI is everywhere — on Google summarizing search results and siphoning web traffic from digital publishers, on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook, adding misleading context to viral posts, or even powering #NaziChatbots. #GenerativeAI and #LargeLanguageModels — AI trained on huge datasets — are being used as therapists, consulted for medical advice, fueling spiritual psychosis, directing self-driving cars, and churning out everything from college essays to cover letters to breakup messages.
"Alongside this deluge is a growing sense of discontent from people fearful of artificial intelligence stealing their jobs, and worried what effect it may have on future generations — losing important skills like media #literacy, #ProblemSolving, and #CognitiveFunction. This is the world where the popularity of AI and robot slurs has skyrocketed, being thrown at everything from ChatGPT servers to delivery drones to automated customer service representatives. Rolling Stone spoke with two language experts who say the rise in robot and AI slurs does come from a kind of cultural pushback against AI development, but what’s most interesting about the trend is that it uses one of the only tools AI can’t create: slang
" '#Slang is moving so fast now that an #LLM trained on everything that happened before it is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now,' says Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley. 'Humans [on] #UrbanDictionary are always going to win.' "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ku2Uw#BattlestarGalactica #AIResistance #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #NeoLuddites #ResistAI #LudditeClub #SmartPhoneAddiction #AreYouAlive #AreYouHuman
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Should we add "#SkinJobs" and "#Toasters" and "#GoRustYourself" to this list?
How ‘#Clanker’ Became the Internet’s New Favorite Slur
New derogatory phrases are popping up online, thanks to a cultural pushback against #AI
by CT Jones, August 6, 2025
"Clanker. #Wireback. #Cogsucker. People are feeling the inescapable inevitability of AI developments, the encroaching of the digital into everything from entertainment to work. And their answer? Slurs.
"AI is everywhere — on Google summarizing search results and siphoning web traffic from digital publishers, on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook, adding misleading context to viral posts, or even powering #NaziChatbots. #GenerativeAI and #LargeLanguageModels — AI trained on huge datasets — are being used as therapists, consulted for medical advice, fueling spiritual psychosis, directing self-driving cars, and churning out everything from college essays to cover letters to breakup messages.
"Alongside this deluge is a growing sense of discontent from people fearful of artificial intelligence stealing their jobs, and worried what effect it may have on future generations — losing important skills like media #literacy, #ProblemSolving, and #CognitiveFunction. This is the world where the popularity of AI and robot slurs has skyrocketed, being thrown at everything from ChatGPT servers to delivery drones to automated customer service representatives. Rolling Stone spoke with two language experts who say the rise in robot and AI slurs does come from a kind of cultural pushback against AI development, but what’s most interesting about the trend is that it uses one of the only tools AI can’t create: slang
" '#Slang is moving so fast now that an #LLM trained on everything that happened before it is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now,' says Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley. 'Humans [on] #UrbanDictionary are always going to win.' "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ku2Uw#BattlestarGalactica #AIResistance #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #NeoLuddites #ResistAI #LudditeClub #SmartPhoneAddiction #AreYouAlive #AreYouHuman
-
Should we add "#SkinJobs" and "#Toasters" and "#GoRustYourself" to this list?
How ‘#Clanker’ Became the Internet’s New Favorite Slur
New derogatory phrases are popping up online, thanks to a cultural pushback against #AI
by CT Jones, August 6, 2025
"Clanker. #Wireback. #Cogsucker. People are feeling the inescapable inevitability of AI developments, the encroaching of the digital into everything from entertainment to work. And their answer? Slurs.
"AI is everywhere — on Google summarizing search results and siphoning web traffic from digital publishers, on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook, adding misleading context to viral posts, or even powering #NaziChatbots. #GenerativeAI and #LargeLanguageModels — AI trained on huge datasets — are being used as therapists, consulted for medical advice, fueling spiritual psychosis, directing self-driving cars, and churning out everything from college essays to cover letters to breakup messages.
"Alongside this deluge is a growing sense of discontent from people fearful of artificial intelligence stealing their jobs, and worried what effect it may have on future generations — losing important skills like media #literacy, #ProblemSolving, and #CognitiveFunction. This is the world where the popularity of AI and robot slurs has skyrocketed, being thrown at everything from ChatGPT servers to delivery drones to automated customer service representatives. Rolling Stone spoke with two language experts who say the rise in robot and AI slurs does come from a kind of cultural pushback against AI development, but what’s most interesting about the trend is that it uses one of the only tools AI can’t create: slang
" '#Slang is moving so fast now that an #LLM trained on everything that happened before it is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now,' says Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley. 'Humans [on] #UrbanDictionary are always going to win.' "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ku2Uw#BattlestarGalactica #AIResistance #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #NeoLuddites #ResistAI #LudditeClub #SmartPhoneAddiction #AreYouAlive #AreYouHuman
-
Should we add "#SkinJobs" and "#Toasters" and "#GoRustYourself" to this list?
How ‘#Clanker’ Became the Internet’s New Favorite Slur
New derogatory phrases are popping up online, thanks to a cultural pushback against #AI
by CT Jones, August 6, 2025
"Clanker. #Wireback. #Cogsucker. People are feeling the inescapable inevitability of AI developments, the encroaching of the digital into everything from entertainment to work. And their answer? Slurs.
"AI is everywhere — on Google summarizing search results and siphoning web traffic from digital publishers, on social media platforms like Instagram, X, and Facebook, adding misleading context to viral posts, or even powering #NaziChatbots. #GenerativeAI and #LargeLanguageModels — AI trained on huge datasets — are being used as therapists, consulted for medical advice, fueling spiritual psychosis, directing self-driving cars, and churning out everything from college essays to cover letters to breakup messages.
"Alongside this deluge is a growing sense of discontent from people fearful of artificial intelligence stealing their jobs, and worried what effect it may have on future generations — losing important skills like media #literacy, #ProblemSolving, and #CognitiveFunction. This is the world where the popularity of AI and robot slurs has skyrocketed, being thrown at everything from ChatGPT servers to delivery drones to automated customer service representatives. Rolling Stone spoke with two language experts who say the rise in robot and AI slurs does come from a kind of cultural pushback against AI development, but what’s most interesting about the trend is that it uses one of the only tools AI can’t create: slang
" '#Slang is moving so fast now that an #LLM trained on everything that happened before it is not going to have immediate access to how people are using a particular word now,' says Nicole Holliday, associate professor of linguistics at UC Berkeley. 'Humans [on] #UrbanDictionary are always going to win.' "
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ku2Uw#BattlestarGalactica #AIResistance #AISucks #NoNukesForAI #NeoLuddites #ResistAI #LudditeClub #SmartPhoneAddiction #AreYouAlive #AreYouHuman
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@Tooden Also, all teens are vulnerable these days. I think it's useful to look at what the #LudditeClub folks are doing / have done as examples of what can be used to replace addictive technology in one's life. Just my two cents...
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@Tooden Actually, it's based on the #LudditeClub -- who are a bunch of teens who traded smartphones for dumb phones. I've been following their exploits for a while now. And tbh, #TechAddiction in young folks is getting real bad. I'm about to post some eye-opening articles I came across recently...
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The teen '#Luddites' rethinking how they use tech ahead of #Australia's under 16's #SocialMediaBan
By Lucia Stein and Fiona Pepper for Brain Rot
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/luddites-phone-free-australia-teen-social-media-ban/105343034
#TheLudditeClub #LudditeClub #Internet #InternetCulture #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #Teenagers #Parenting #Luddites #JoinTheLudditeClub #MeaningfulConnections #ReadBooks #CreateArt #WriteBadPoetry #BePresent #TechAddiction
#SmartPhones are #DumbingUsDown
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime -
The teen '#Luddites' rethinking how they use tech ahead of #Australia's under 16's #SocialMediaBan
By Lucia Stein and Fiona Pepper for Brain Rot
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/luddites-phone-free-australia-teen-social-media-ban/105343034
#TheLudditeClub #LudditeClub #Internet #InternetCulture #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #Teenagers #Parenting #Luddites #JoinTheLudditeClub #MeaningfulConnections #ReadBooks #CreateArt #WriteBadPoetry #BePresent #TechAddiction
#SmartPhones are #DumbingUsDown
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime -
The teen '#Luddites' rethinking how they use tech ahead of #Australia's under 16's #SocialMediaBan
By Lucia Stein and Fiona Pepper for Brain Rot
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/luddites-phone-free-australia-teen-social-media-ban/105343034
#TheLudditeClub #LudditeClub #Internet #InternetCulture #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #Teenagers #Parenting #Luddites #JoinTheLudditeClub #MeaningfulConnections #ReadBooks #CreateArt #WriteBadPoetry #BePresent #TechAddiction
#SmartPhones are #DumbingUsDown
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime -
The teen '#Luddites' rethinking how they use tech ahead of #Australia's under 16's #SocialMediaBan
By Lucia Stein and Fiona Pepper for Brain Rot
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/luddites-phone-free-australia-teen-social-media-ban/105343034
#TheLudditeClub #LudditeClub #Internet #InternetCulture #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #Teenagers #Parenting #Luddites #JoinTheLudditeClub #MeaningfulConnections #ReadBooks #CreateArt #WriteBadPoetry #BePresent #TechAddiction
#SmartPhones are #DumbingUsDown
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime -
The teen '#Luddites' rethinking how they use tech ahead of #Australia's under 16's #SocialMediaBan
By Lucia Stein and Fiona Pepper for Brain Rot
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-07-09/luddites-phone-free-australia-teen-social-media-ban/105343034
#TheLudditeClub #LudditeClub #Internet #InternetCulture #MentalHealth #MentalWellbeing #Teenagers #Parenting #Luddites #JoinTheLudditeClub #MeaningfulConnections #ReadBooks #CreateArt #WriteBadPoetry #BePresent #TechAddiction
#SmartPhones are #DumbingUsDown
#MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime -
"It’s really important for a kid to be left alone"- When #TaikaWaititi made his feelings clear about the role of tech in children's lives
By Sourav Chakraborty
Modified May 03, 2025 04:54 GMT" 'Exactly, now they’ve all got iPads and it’s done for them! I think it’s really important for a kid to be left alone and left to figure it out for themselves how to pass the time. As a kid, I spent so much time bored and coming up with ideas of how to do things, so I’d write stories or I’d draw pictures or invent worlds through drawing or just in my head, just thinking about things. I think that a lot of my creativity has really come from being bored.' " [SO TRUE!!!]
#SmartphoneAddiction #TechIsDumbingUsDown #NoAI #Imagination #LudditeClub #NeoLuddites #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #Smartphones #TechAddiction #TurnOffYourPhone #BePresent #ThinkForYourself #ResistTheMachine #NoSmartphonesForKids #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime
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"It’s really important for a kid to be left alone"- When #TaikaWaititi made his feelings clear about the role of tech in children's lives
By Sourav Chakraborty
Modified May 03, 2025 04:54 GMT" 'Exactly, now they’ve all got iPads and it’s done for them! I think it’s really important for a kid to be left alone and left to figure it out for themselves how to pass the time. As a kid, I spent so much time bored and coming up with ideas of how to do things, so I’d write stories or I’d draw pictures or invent worlds through drawing or just in my head, just thinking about things. I think that a lot of my creativity has really come from being bored.' " [SO TRUE!!!]
#SmartphoneAddiction #TechIsDumbingUsDown #NoAI #Imagination #LudditeClub #NeoLuddites #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #Smartphones #TechAddiction #TurnOffYourPhone #BePresent #ThinkForYourself #ResistTheMachine #NoSmartphonesForKids #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime
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"It’s really important for a kid to be left alone"- When #TaikaWaititi made his feelings clear about the role of tech in children's lives
By Sourav Chakraborty
Modified May 03, 2025 04:54 GMT" 'Exactly, now they’ve all got iPads and it’s done for them! I think it’s really important for a kid to be left alone and left to figure it out for themselves how to pass the time. As a kid, I spent so much time bored and coming up with ideas of how to do things, so I’d write stories or I’d draw pictures or invent worlds through drawing or just in my head, just thinking about things. I think that a lot of my creativity has really come from being bored.' " [SO TRUE!!!]
#SmartphoneAddiction #TechIsDumbingUsDown #NoAI #Imagination #LudditeClub #NeoLuddites #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #Smartphones #TechAddiction #TurnOffYourPhone #BePresent #ThinkForYourself #ResistTheMachine #NoSmartphonesForKids #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime
-
"It’s really important for a kid to be left alone"- When #TaikaWaititi made his feelings clear about the role of tech in children's lives
By Sourav Chakraborty
Modified May 03, 2025 04:54 GMT" 'Exactly, now they’ve all got iPads and it’s done for them! I think it’s really important for a kid to be left alone and left to figure it out for themselves how to pass the time. As a kid, I spent so much time bored and coming up with ideas of how to do things, so I’d write stories or I’d draw pictures or invent worlds through drawing or just in my head, just thinking about things. I think that a lot of my creativity has really come from being bored.' " [SO TRUE!!!]
#SmartphoneAddiction #TechIsDumbingUsDown #NoAI #Imagination #LudditeClub #NeoLuddites #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #Smartphones #TechAddiction #TurnOffYourPhone #BePresent #ThinkForYourself #ResistTheMachine #NoSmartphonesForKids #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime
-
"It’s really important for a kid to be left alone"- When #TaikaWaititi made his feelings clear about the role of tech in children's lives
By Sourav Chakraborty
Modified May 03, 2025 04:54 GMT" 'Exactly, now they’ve all got iPads and it’s done for them! I think it’s really important for a kid to be left alone and left to figure it out for themselves how to pass the time. As a kid, I spent so much time bored and coming up with ideas of how to do things, so I’d write stories or I’d draw pictures or invent worlds through drawing or just in my head, just thinking about things. I think that a lot of my creativity has really come from being bored.' " [SO TRUE!!!]
#SmartphoneAddiction #TechIsDumbingUsDown #NoAI #Imagination #LudditeClub #NeoLuddites #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #Smartphones #TechAddiction #TurnOffYourPhone #BePresent #ThinkForYourself #ResistTheMachine #NoSmartphonesForKids #MoreGreenTimeLessScreenTime
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Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes
Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.
By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.
"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.
"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.
"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York."But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.
"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine."They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.
"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine -
Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes
Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.
By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.
"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.
"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.
"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York."But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.
"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine."They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.
"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine -
Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes
Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.
By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.
"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.
"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.
"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York."But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.
"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine."They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.
"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine -
Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes
Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.
By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.
"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.
"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.
"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York."But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.
"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine."They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.
"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine -
Now in College, #LudditeTeens Still Don’t Want Your Likes
Three years after starting a club meant to fight #SocialMedia’s grip on young people, many original members are holding firm and gaining new converts.
By Alex Vadukul
Jan. 30, 2025"Biruk Watling, a college sophomore wearing a baggy coat and purple fingerless gloves, walked the chilly campus of Temple University in #Philadelphia on a recent afternoon to recruit new members to her club.
She taped a flier to a pole: '#JoinTheLudditeClub For #MeaningfulConnections.' Down the block, she posted another one: 'Do You Desire a Healthier Relationship With Technology, Especially Social Media? The Luddite Club Welcomes You and Your Ideas.'"When a student approached, Ms. Watling dove into her pitch.
"'Our club promotes #ConsciousConsumption of #technology,' she said. 'We’re for #HumanConnection. I’m one of the first members of the original Luddite Club in #Brooklyn. Now I’m trying to start it in #Philly.
"She pulled out a #FlipPhone, mystifying her recruit.
"'We use these,' she said. 'This has been the most freeing experience of my life.'
If Ms. Watling had a missionary’s zeal, it was because she wasn’t just promoting a student club, but an approach to modern life that profoundly changed her two years ago, when she helped form the Luddite Club as a high school student in New York."But that was then, back when things were simpler, before she had embarked on the more independent life of a college student and found herself having to navigate QR codes, two-factor-identification logins, dating apps and other digital staples of campus life.
"The #LudditeClub was the subject of an article I wrote in 2022 — a story that, ironically, went viral. It told of how a group of teenage tech skeptics from Edward R. Murrow High School in Brooklyn and a few other schools in the city gathered on weekends in Prospect Park to enjoy some time together away from the machine."They #sketched and #painted side by side. They read quietly, favoring works by #Dostoyevsky, #Kerouac and #Vonnegut. They sat on logs and groused about how #TikTok was dumbing down their generation. Their flip phones were decorated with stickers and nail polish.
"Readers inspired by their message responded in hundreds of emails and comments. Reporters from Germany, Brazil, Japan and elsewhere flooded my inbox, asking me how to reach these students who were so hard to track down online. Snarky Reddit threads and think pieces sprouted. #RalphNader endorsed the club in an opinion essay, writing: 'This is a rebellion that needs support and diffusion.'"
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/30/style/luddite-teens-reunion.htmlArchived version:
https://archive.ph/
#SolarPunkSunday #Nature #NeoLuddite #Luddites #LessScreenTime #MoreBoardGames #MoreGreenTime #MoreOutdoorTime #FlipPhones #MoreBooks #ResistTheMachine -
Why teens are giving up their #smartphones and joining the '#LudditeClub'
Avery Hartmans, October 2022
"Since giving up her smartphone, Shub says she has more space to think creatively, more time to read, and better concentration. She and many of her friends have given up Instagram and they prefer phone calls over texting.
"'If I have one overarching message for my fellow teenagers, it's this: Spend time getting to know yourself and exploring the world around you,' Shub writes. 'It's so much more fulfilling — and so much more real — than the one inside your expensive little box.'"
Original article:
https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-ditching-smartphones-social-media-to-become-luddites-2022-10Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jOSNU -
Why teens are giving up their #smartphones and joining the '#LudditeClub'
Avery Hartmans, October 2022
"Since giving up her smartphone, Shub says she has more space to think creatively, more time to read, and better concentration. She and many of her friends have given up Instagram and they prefer phone calls over texting.
"'If I have one overarching message for my fellow teenagers, it's this: Spend time getting to know yourself and exploring the world around you,' Shub writes. 'It's so much more fulfilling — and so much more real — than the one inside your expensive little box.'"
Original article:
https://www.businessinsider.com/teens-ditching-smartphones-social-media-to-become-luddites-2022-10Archived version:
https://archive.ph/jOSNU