What is a Luddite? This commonly misinterpreted term originates in the 19th century, but today represents entrenched players in a variety of industries that are fighting new tech and sustainable approaches. This short slideshow provides examples and considerations of Luddites in the 21st century. This slideshow features many links to outside blogs and resources to provide more research opportunities to readers.

1. What is
From the blog
Middle Class Tech
aLuddite?

2. £ The term is often mis-applied to those who are
behind the times with modern technology
£ It actually means someone who is opposed to or
fights better technology to protect their old tech
—Good example: Gas-powered car dealers and
manufacturers fighting all-electric vehicles
—Another example: Big Oil fighting sustainable power
sources like solar, wind, and nuclear
—Surely cars intimidated the horse and buggy
development, sales, and marketing crowd
What isa Luddite?

3. Luddite Defined
According to Wikipedia
— “The Luddites were 19th-century English textile artisans
who protested against newly developed labour-replacing
machinery from 1811 to 1817. The stocking frames, spinning
frames and power looms introduced during the Industrial
Revolution threatened to replace the artisans with less-
skilled, low-wage labourers, leaving them without work.
Although the origin of the name Luddite is uncertain, a
popular theory is that the movement was named after Ned
Ludd, a youth who allegedly smashed two stocking frames
in 1779, and whose name had become emblematic of
machine destroyers.”

4. Luddites Today
£ We live in a time when the introduction of
new, disruptive tech is faster and more
pervasive than ever before
£ Call it paradigm shift, disruption, whatever
—It all means, as a society, we are encountering
more and more problems regarding old tech
vs. new tech (old models vs. new models)
—$$ and power involved
—The status quo is challenged and intimidated

5. A Lookat Disruption
£ Disruptive tech is faster than ever
£ Disruptive tech is all around us
£ Myriad digital technologies
—Social media networks (Facebook, LinkedIn, Vine)
—Next-gen transportation models (Tesla, SpaceX)
—Brilliant biotech breakthroughs (genetic and DNA)
£ Disruption disturbs the old guard
—The status quo, entrenched forces that
want to protect money and power

6. Modern Luddites
£ People and organizations that profit from
and control outdated (legacy) technology
—Tech used by millions and billions of people
—Thus, it becomes an ethical issue
£ Luddites = protectionists
£ Legacy Luddites should be added to the
lexicon
£ Luddite = the mobster standing on the corner
who sneers, “Beat it, kid, this is our block”

7. Examplesof Luddites
£ The modern internal combustion engine
automobile surely freaked the people
designing, building, selling, and maintaining
horses and the buggies they pulled
£ Television in the 1950s scared the crap out of
parts of Hollywood and the entire commercial
cinema business
—It is why Hollywood introduced so many aspect
ratio standards in the 1950s (most of which died)

8. Examplesof Luddites
£ Would it be surprising if whiskey makers and
sellers in the 1860s were alarmed by the
invention of the hypodermic needle and the
administration of morphine?
—Biting a chunk of leather and drinking half
a bottle of whiskey had been the entrenched
standard for centuries
£ The flow of money was shifting from old
models and old players to new models and
new players

9. LudditesareEverywhere
£ Controversial ebook authors Joe Konrath and
Barry Eisler write about the desperate efforts
of those in the legacy publishing industry
£ Auto industry luddites have grabbed headlines
recently for their successful campaigns to halt
test drives and sales of electric cars in Iowa and
Michigan
£ Your cable TV company is a Luddite
—It is fighting internet-based streaming
like Netflix and Hulu Plus

10. We Need the Term
£ “Luddite” so accurately describes the actions
and behavior of so many wealthy or powerful
organizations, mostly legacy 20th century
businesses
£ 21st century companies seem to be fighting the
Luddites
—Facebook and YouTube are trying to kill cable TV
—Tesla Motors is fighting Detroit and Luddite politicians
—Big Oil fights sustainable energy (solar/wind/nuclear)

11. Digital Looms
£ Stay vigilant
£ Don’t let the Luddites destroy
our digital looms

12. The author
kindly requests
you check out
the Amazon
Kindle book
Understanding
Personal
Data Security

13. OtherBooks byCurt Robbins
 Home Theater for the Internet Age
 Understanding Digital Music
 Understanding Cutting the Cord
 Understanding Home Theater

14. AboutCurt Robbins
 Blog: Middle Class Tech
 rAVe Publications Blogsquad
 Twitter: @CurtRobbins