Acts of Technological Insurrection
I just finished bingeing both seasons of the TV series Andor again before my Disney+ subscription lapses. Along with Rogue One – the film it was based on – it remains my favorite Star Wars story to date. They've made that universe more relatable and real to me than any other movie or TV series.
The second season moves fast. It has to – they had to condense 4 more seasons of material into one. It's brilliant, but the first season is still my favorite. A lot of people didn't like the pacing of Season 1, but I absolutely love it. The intentionality, the deliberateness of it. So much is conveyed in the drawn-out scenes and moments without speech. The music and thoughtful cinematography in those moments tell important parts of the story that action sequences and dialogue could never tell. They give space for the viewers to contemplate what they've seen and heard. They allow room for imagination.
It's so compelling and meaningful because it's so relatable. And it's also terrifying for the same reason. Just replace some fictional names with some real-world ones, change a few minor details, and many of the sub plots and story arcs of the series could be real-life stories that have played out and are playing out right now.
The stories also apply in different contexts. As I once again reevaluate my relationship with technology, one part of Nemik's Manifesto stood out to me this time.
Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward.
It got me thinking, what are acts of technological insurrection?
Any time we choose to use a piece of technology that is not controlled, tracked, or surveilled by Big Tech, it's an act of technological insurrection. Any time we choose to resist the urge to look at a screen for no reason, it's an act of technological insurrection. And no matter how small the act, it pushes our lines forward.
How awful is the current state of things that writing this blog post using my own brain and my own fingers, without the assistance of an AI LLM chat bot, is now an act of technological insurrection?
2025 started strong for me, and then, for reasons I'm still trying to understand and sort out, I took an emotional, mental, and spiritual nosedive to finish out this year.
I have never felt so uncertain, confused, and directionless in my life.
Whether a symptom or a cause, I've been using technology most of this year without restraint and without intent.
I want 2026 to be different. I need it to be different.
My technological insurrection resumes now.
#100DaysToOffload (No. 121) #tech #TV #intentionism #DigitalMinimalistm #AI