Shh! We may be helping start a neo-Luddite movement
Chances are you've picked up the wrong idea
Imagine my surprise to discover The Unplugged Club could be considered a neo-Luddite movement.
Once you understand the historically correct meaning of Luddite, which few people do, you might even consider yourself a Neo-Luddite or at least be a bit more sympathetic.
Machine smashers, yes, but so much more
Most people know the Luddites smashed machines, which is true, but they weren’t anti-technology or anti-progress. Quite the contrary. They were working-class weavers in the textile factories of England in the pre-industrial early 1800s, a period of increasing industrialization, economic hardship and widespread unrest.
From an article in The Conversation:
Luddism was a working-class movement opposed to the political consequences of industrial capitalism. The Luddites wanted technology to be deployed in ways that made work more humane and gave workers more autonomy. The bosses, on the other hand, wanted to drive down costs and increase productivity.
It wasn’t the invention of these machines that provoked the Luddites to action. They only banded together once factory owners began using these machines to displace and disempower workers.
So, being labeled a (neo-)Luddite doesn’t necessarily mean you’re anti-technology (although some people are) or a complete doofus about how to use technology.
No sacred tech cows
It means you hold no technology – or technological progress – as sacred in itself, but judge it based on its benefits to society.
Numerous paths we could go down to argue this belief: Amazon warehouse workers, Uber and labor law, Facebook (and other social media platforms) flagrant use of user data. And now, what changes unregulated AI might bring down on society.
To quote The Conversation again:
A neo-Luddite movement…would confront the harms done by digital capitalism and seek to address them by giving people more power over the technological systems that structure their lives.
Boom.
We don’t have to wait.
Let’s start with using the power we already have to rein in the phones and computers in our hands and homes.
First, go wander outside!
3 Resources for You
Screen Time Statistics: Average Screen Time in US vs Rest of the World – Have you wondered how your screen time compares? The average American spends 7 hours a day looking at a screen. Stats updated 2023.
The Log Off Movement – A movement dedicated to rethinking social media by youth for youth. The teenagers may save us yet. Share with a teenager you love.
The Freedom App – Supportive tech: Control distractions so you can focus on what matters. Amen!
Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you. Anne Lamott
