Gowanus Promotes 1 Summer of Ludd Festival as Gen Z Recasts Luddism Against Big Tech
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Jul 14
Gowanus Promotes 1 Summer of Ludd Festival as Gen Z Recasts Luddism Against Big Tech
1 articles · Updated · WIRED · Jul 14
Summary
New York’s Summer of Ludd festival used a puppet spokesperson, Gowanus, to frame modern Luddism as a political critique of Big Tech rather than blanket opposition to technology.
The movement says platforms and AI drive addiction, loneliness, labor disruption and environmental strain, while favoring community-run tools such as newsletters, RSS feeds and in-person events.
Festival activities included 2 IRL flirting workshops, group app-deletion sessions and an evidence box collecting harms tied to ChatGPT, Amazon working conditions and Meta Ray-Bans recordings.
Gen Z is a visible part of the push, but organizers said attendees also came from across the U.S., Canada and Australia, arguing tech alienation now cuts across generations.
The group’s broader aim is to move people from digital detox toward offline social infrastructure—bookstores, parks, hotlines and guidebooks—as an alternative to algorithm-driven platforms.