Members of the Luddite Club gather in New York City's Tomkins Square Park.
Corrie Aune for BI
Jameson Butler hated how much time she spent on her smartphone, so over the pandemic, she ditched it for a flip phone. It was meant to be a temporary "social media cleanse."Years later, the 19-year-old still hasn't gone back."Immediately, the quality of my life increased so dramatically," she said during a meetup of like-minded tech skeptics in New York City's Tompkins Square Park on Sunday. "I was like, oh my God, we've all been sold this lie that we have to have phones."Butler cofounded the Luddite Club in 2021, a group whose members meet weekly in the city to discuss literature, life, and the pitfalls of technology. For its members, each meeting is a rare couple of hours where they can experience social connection that isn't set up by an Instagram DM or a text blast.
Members of the Luddite Club hang out in the park without a phone in sight.
Corrie Aune for BI
