I am intrigued. The Machine. I sometimes call it the Matrix, like in the movie. It has been called the Moloch. But what to do about it, in particular in the times of AI? Your slogan "Say No to the Machine" is simple and points into a direction.
This resonates. I work in tech which ironically only creates more resentment internally for myself towards it. The other day I ordered something online and in the email confirmation they wanted me to download an app just to track the package... Wtf? I just want to know when it's going to get here, I shouldn't need to download an app, setup a username and password (or better yet facial recognition) so I can see where the thing I ordered is in the process of shipping.
Yep, a company wanted me to do this too. Incredibly annoying when there are much simpler and better ways of tracking parcels. No need for an app at all.
I wish I could be a Non Digital Human I lmmerse myself in the natural beauty of the Geopark i live in in rural N.W Ireland. I am a friend ('Cara' in Irish) and farmer of the mind ('Manus' in Tibetan) so, authentically I am a 'Manus Cara', happily. However to get on the rural transport for Ireland bus I am FORCED to book online and through an app and have a smarphone to do it- as if that's intuitive, not to me it isn't and not to many I know especially older persons who are also legally obliged to submit their taxes online (except in special circumstances). It's Insane, Inhumane- I am not a digital human; being a human being is a special circumstance. I do not rest my case.
I thought, seeming as I am writing against the machine I ought to do my own voiceover rather than letting the default automated voiceover do its thing!
We’ve been told technology is unstoppable, that its march is destiny. But as this article reminds us—like the sticky buns at the Pennsylvania Dutch store nearby—it’s a myth. The Machine—our smartphones, apps, AI, and systems of efficiency—only grows because we say yes. The most radical word we still possess is a simple one: No.
Saying no has costs. Life without the latest devices means longer lines, missed opportunities, even exclusion from certain services. But saying yes carries its own price: fractured attention, dependence, and complicity in the erosion of what makes us human.
Resisting the Machine isn’t about rejecting every tool—it’s about reforming our imaginations. Choosing quality over quantity. Valuing analog traditions. Spending time in nature until we remember what’s worth protecting. The Machine is not inevitable. It only feels that way because we consent. The question is whether we’ll summon the will to say: thus far, and no further.
Would you pay the cost of saying No? Or keep paying the hidden price of saying Yes?
I am intrigued. The Machine. I sometimes call it the Matrix, like in the movie. It has been called the Moloch. But what to do about it, in particular in the times of AI? Your slogan "Say No to the Machine" is simple and points into a direction.
One important question right now is: Should AI have legal rights? The lobbying for this is already underway.
This resonates. I work in tech which ironically only creates more resentment internally for myself towards it. The other day I ordered something online and in the email confirmation they wanted me to download an app just to track the package... Wtf? I just want to know when it's going to get here, I shouldn't need to download an app, setup a username and password (or better yet facial recognition) so I can see where the thing I ordered is in the process of shipping.
Yep, a company wanted me to do this too. Incredibly annoying when there are much simpler and better ways of tracking parcels. No need for an app at all.
I wish I could be a Non Digital Human I lmmerse myself in the natural beauty of the Geopark i live in in rural N.W Ireland. I am a friend ('Cara' in Irish) and farmer of the mind ('Manus' in Tibetan) so, authentically I am a 'Manus Cara', happily. However to get on the rural transport for Ireland bus I am FORCED to book online and through an app and have a smarphone to do it- as if that's intuitive, not to me it isn't and not to many I know especially older persons who are also legally obliged to submit their taxes online (except in special circumstances). It's Insane, Inhumane- I am not a digital human; being a human being is a special circumstance. I do not rest my case.
The voiceover! I appreciate it, as I am an audio lover at heart and much prefer it in many contexts.
I love this:
"Overcoming our love for quantity, and the deeply ingrained habits of the mass-produced digital age, will be a mammoth task of will and wisdom."
I thought, seeming as I am writing against the machine I ought to do my own voiceover rather than letting the default automated voiceover do its thing!
The Machine is Not Inevitable
We’ve been told technology is unstoppable, that its march is destiny. But as this article reminds us—like the sticky buns at the Pennsylvania Dutch store nearby—it’s a myth. The Machine—our smartphones, apps, AI, and systems of efficiency—only grows because we say yes. The most radical word we still possess is a simple one: No.
Saying no has costs. Life without the latest devices means longer lines, missed opportunities, even exclusion from certain services. But saying yes carries its own price: fractured attention, dependence, and complicity in the erosion of what makes us human.
Resisting the Machine isn’t about rejecting every tool—it’s about reforming our imaginations. Choosing quality over quantity. Valuing analog traditions. Spending time in nature until we remember what’s worth protecting. The Machine is not inevitable. It only feels that way because we consent. The question is whether we’ll summon the will to say: thus far, and no further.
Would you pay the cost of saying No? Or keep paying the hidden price of saying Yes?
I share your sentiments and dream of a better day where friends and neighbors alike cooperate for the analogue future.