{"id":3146,"date":"2026-07-02T15:34:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T15:34:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3146"},"modified":"2026-07-02T15:34:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T15:34:38","slug":"inside-the-luddite-festival-harnessing-gen-zs-rage-against-big-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=3146","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Luddite Festival Harnessing Gen Z\u2019s Rage Against Big Tech"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

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On a Sunday<\/span> evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park in New York City<\/a>\u2019s East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 face of a woman wearing a crown. She\u2019s the backdrop of a play, her body made up of curtains that look like a dress but serve a dual purpose, allowing actors to scurry on and offstage.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m here to watch a performance called \u201cLuddite<\/a> Recreations,\u201d which is a history of the Luddite movement\u2014a group of artisans and textile workers who resisted the adoption of machines during the early years of the Industrial Revolution in England and whose resistance to being displaced from their work was met with violence by the British monarchy.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s one of the opening events of the Summer of Ludd, a weeklong series of talks and activities like how to flirt and date offline<\/a>, mending, and learning to fight against data centers<\/a>, all focused on getting people off their phones and into community.<\/p>\n

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\n
\"Image<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

A poster skewering ChatGPT.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photograph: Vittoria Elliot<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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\"Image<\/picture><\/span><\/div>\n

Photograph: Vittoria Elliot<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Everything is so evidently handcrafted, giving it the energy of a high school production (complimentary). A small orchestra, manned by people dressed in Pride regalia, sits off to one side. Behind them, a table holds 10 different zines covering everything from how to get off Spotify<\/a> to the role of surveillance technology in schools<\/a> to \u201cWhy GenAI<\/a> Sucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

The events will continue through July 5, with most major parts concentrated in Tompkins Square Park. (There will be a beach day cookout on July 4 as well as events in nearby locations in the East Village.)<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the play, the actor playing Lord Byron, the famous British poet who supported the Luddite movement, tells the crowd of about 300 the rules for the week: Be present, and absolutely no phones, recording, or photos allowed.<\/p>\n

None of the week\u2019s events, including the play, are advertised online. Posters around the neighborhood advertise the Summer of Ludd, declaring \u201conly in real life!,\u201d and booklets with the week\u2019s schedule of events have been placed in community spaces around the area.<\/p>\n

I found out about the event in a serendipitously offline way. Earlier in June, I was with a friend in the East Village, and we got caught in a summer downpour. As I was waiting it out in the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, a small venue that documents the neighborhood\u2019s history of activism, I found the booklet outlining the Summer of Ludd\u2019s events among several other zines, posters, and pamphlets. So here I am, phone tucked away, notebook out, playbill in hand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a Sunday evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park in New York City\u2019s East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 face of a woman wearing a crown. 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