Luddites knew good and well how, by saying ‘yes’ to the elaborate promises of growth and efficiency that accompanied mechanization, they would also be waving goodbye to an entire way of life. The Luddites of the late-18th early-19th century broke into textile factories and smashed the mechanical looms not because they didn’t like machines, but because they saw that the mechanization and industrialization of the textile industry posed a catastrophic threat to their work, family, community and culture. “But the historical Luddites were neither childish nor naïve.” The Luddites were wholeheartedly for meaningful community and its workers. “‘Luddite’ has come to mean an almost childish and certainly naïve opposition to technology,” wrote Neil Postman. (Even saying that, I can hear the technophiles whispering their scorn for Luddite detractors like me.)įirst, then, let’s clear up a basic misconception about the Luddites: they were never against technology. It’s a no-brainer to me that when we choose to privilege the virtual over the real, we’re betting on the wrong horse.

While it’s always been difficult to engage in real conversations with people about emotionally charged moral or political issues, it’s sure easy to leave witty, caustic comments at the bottom of an editorial comments page. Still, I worry that I’ll end up on the same losing side as the Luddites, because we are remarkably quick to give up time spent with real communities for time spent in so-called ‘online communities.’ A lot of our real friends get less of our time than our Facebook friends. Take sex, for example: At the end of the day, it would be delusional to believe that online pornography, no matter how fascinating and titillating, could ever be the equivalent of real sex. I take it on faith that the virtual world, no matter how dazzling it can be, will never supplant the real. (Editor’s Warning: Reading This Book Review May Rewire your Neurons)

Carr the shallows