New York City's Summer of Ludd festival is fostering a deliberate disconnect from digital life, drawing hundreds to Tompkins Square Park for a week of offline activities. The event, inspired by the historical Luddite movement's resistance to industrial machines, now targets Gen Z's growing frustration with Big Tech's pervasive influence. Activities range from mending clothes to learning about surveillance tech, all emphasizing presence and community interaction.

This modern Luddite movement sees young people questioning technology's omnipresence, with a 2025 Pew Research study indicating a rise in teens reporting negative social media effects. Organizers, speaking through a puppet spokesperson named Gowanus, aim to create physical spaces for social change, bypassing the data collection inherent in online organizing. The festival offers alternatives like 16-mm film screenings and shortwave radio workshops.

Attendees like "staoue" express a desire to "defy consumption" and escape the pressure for constant speed driven by technology. The festival provides a counterpoint to society's rapid acceleration, encouraging new hobbies and genuine human connection. This pushback against tech's pull on autonomy, as described by Andrew Maynard, professor of advanced technology transitions, aims to reclaim personal agency.