Wired · New York · United Kingdom · Ars Technica
Inside the Luddite festival harnessing Gen Z’s rage against Big Tech
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On a Sunday evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park in New York City ’s East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-m’ché face of a woman wearing a crown.
Key facts
- A 2025 Pew Research study found that in 2024, 48 percent of teen respondents said social media has negative effects on people their age—up from 32 percent in 2022
- The events will continue through July 5, with most major parts concentrated in Tompkins Square Park
- On a Sunday evening in the middle of Tompkins Square Park in New York City ’s East Village, hundreds of people gather in front of a giant papier-m’ché face of a woman wearing a crown
- 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
Summary
The reporter is here to watch a performance called “ Luddite Recreations,” which is a history of the Luddite movement—a 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. It’s one of the opening events of the Summer of Ludd, a weeklong series of talks and activities like how to flirt and date offline, mending, and learning to fight against data centers, all focused on getting people off their phones and into community.