field notes from a phone-free future

There is a countercultural revolution spreading across the United States. It has many faces that have been widely documented but poorly understood. It is “high agency,” but not in the Silicon Valley sense, because it is also highly techno-pessimist.The coalition includes, but is not limited to:New York City Neo-LudditesData center NIMBYsCrunchy MAHA momsJonathan Haidt disciplesPost-rationalistsSpiritual and religious revivalistsAnti-AI populistsThird space advocatesAnybody refusing to use social mediaAnybody using a “dumbphone”The revolution means different things to different people, but it can best be categorized by its refusal to be categorized. The movement rejects rational optimization to embrace the subjective, irrational, and emotional.The revolution will not be clipped into digestible short-form video.It will not wear Apple watches and Aura rings.It will not track your step count.The revolution will not be on Partiful;It does not care who attends the function.There will be no…