I went to an anti-tech rally, where Gen Z smashed iPhones and questioned everything. Here's what I learned.

""Even if it gives us rabies, we will free the iPad babies!" the crowdofmostly young people chanted. They donned colored folders fashioned into pointy hats inspired by gnomes, a symbol for the rally due to the mythical creatures' earthy, non-digital aesthetic. Each hat contained a printed note taped inside criticizing things like AI data centers and inviting people to join "the Luddite Renaissance.""

"And so I found myself on a sunny early fall Saturday on the High Line, an elevated public park in Manhattan that is often crowded with tourists posing for selfies, at an anti-tech event called the Scathing Hatred of Information Technology and the Passionate Hemorrhaging of Our Neo-liberal Experience rally. That's "S.H.I.T.P.H.O.N.E" for short. Several dozen people were there. One attendee told me they heard about it through word of mouth, which makes sense."

"Some brought signs, including one that read "Don't ignore the gnome revolution." One person arrived dressed as an iPad baby, complete with a fake phone screen featuring apps like Tinder, Subway Surfers, DraftKings, and Cocomelon. For many in the movement, the goal is to take a conscious step back from the social media apps and all-in-one smartphones that have become an increasingly overwhelming part of people's daily lives. Ultimately, they are advocating for healthier relationships with technology."

A modern Luddite movement encourages people to ditch smartphones and delete social accounts, favoring in-person organizing and deliberate reductions in screen time. Participants hold offline rallies like the Scathing Hatred of Information Technology and the Passionate Hemorrhaging of Our Neo-liberal Experience (S.H.I.T.P.H.O.N.E) on the High Line, wearing gnome-inspired pointy hats with printed critiques of AI data centers and invitations to a 'Luddite Renaissance.' Attendees chant against pervasive device use, carry signs, and stage costumes such as an 'iPad baby' to dramatize harms. The movement promotes conscious steps back from social apps and all-in-one smartphones to cultivate healthier relationships with technology.

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