The Gen Z Backlash to Big Tech

Cassette tape sales were up, with more than 430,000 units sold in 2025.

A survey in 2025 found that 68% of Gen Z adults reported feeling nostalgic for eras before their lifetime.

Facebook employees raised concerns about company research showing Instagram made one in three teen girls feel worse about their bodies and experience higher rates of anxiety and depression.

Facebook realized that changing its algorithm to be safer would lead to less time spent on the site, fewer ad clicks, and less revenue.

Technology became deeply embedded in the economy and society, making phones necessary for communication, transportation, banking, healthcare, and government services.

Users are effectively working for Big Tech, with every keystroke, search, click, and scroll feeding data profiles that are sold to advertisers without their knowledge.

Users are not the customers for Facebook; companies like Coca-Cola are, as they pay for advertising.

The term "Luddite" is commonly used as an insult for someone with stubborn, irrational resistance to progress.

Historically, Luddites were not against technology itself but against its use to devalue skills, undercut wages, and enrich a small group of people.

In 2026, tech companies are losing cases in courts, voters are fighting AI data centers, and there has been sabotage of tech, including a Waymo car being graffitied and set on fire.

People boo AI graduation speeches.

Neo-Luddites are working to create social infrastructure without phones or social media, where humans can interact face-to-face.

Gowanus was born in a dumpster in the Gowanus neighborhood of New York City in January 2026.

Hasan Minhaj signed an analog terms and conditions contract for the interview, which included a rule against creating YouTube Shorts or TikToks from the content.

A recent MIT study regarding the use of LLMs found lasting cognitive harm, as people's brains did not return to normal functioning levels after using LLMs to write essays.

The Gen-Luddites are taking strong steps to avoid the commodification of their aesthetic of revolt, unlike how bands like Rage Against the Machine's aesthetic was sold back as a commodity.

People can reach out to [email protected] for resources or a chat.

I saw you need $120 $120 more to Hassan's wallet.