History Main / NewTechnologyIsEvil

* Music/SteveAlbini is a major proponent of analog media, dismissing the UsefulNotes/CompactDisc as "the rich man's 8-track" and including blurbs in the packaging of Music/BigBlack's ''Music/SongsAboutFucking'' disparaging digital audio and their proponents.

* During the 1970s and 80s the anti-nuclear movement in the United States was at its peak due to incidents such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident Three Mile Island partial meltdown]], with certain environmental groups decrying nuclear power to this day. Currently, radiation is humanity's cleanest energy source, [[PyrrhicVictory and it's estimated for every one plant that was stopped by protests around that time 100 metric tons of CO2 was emitted instead]]. The only real reasons we're not powering every home with nuclear stations at the moment are the aforementioned public perception of the "dangers" of nuclear power, [[ShockinglyExpensiveBill the high start-up costs for building reactors]] and the fact that [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_uranium#Uranium_supply nuclear fuels are finite]], meaning that a society fully dependent on them [[TerminallyDependentSociety would one day be screwed when supplies run out, just like with fossil fuels]].

Compare NewMediaAreEvil. When this technology is used by an entire society, it becomes LuddWasRight. When this trope motivates the bad guy, they're an EvilLuddite. See also SocialMediaIsBad. If the technology has a screen on it and it's compared to the allegedly-superior books, see BooksVsScreens.

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E2SmugAlert Smug Alert]]", the whole town gets hybrid cars and the resulting [[JustForPun smug]]-storm nearly destroys the west coast of the US. At the end, Kyle attempts to subvert this trope by pointing out that hybrid cars themselves are a ''good'' thing - that people simply need to learn to be environmentally conscious without developing a HolierThanThou attitude. None of the people of South Park believe that they could handle that.

* [[ObsessiveHobbyEpisode Become obsessed with it]], to the exclusion of everything else;
* Become dependent on it (and helpless when it breaks), or
* Become insufferable about it, until someone else gets an even cooler model.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS3E17MommysLittleAssetsChuckiesWonderfulLife Mommy's Little Assets]]", Famous Ethel and her husband, Abe are reluctant to sell their company to [[MegaCorp Merge Corp]], as they don't trust newer technology. They want the memo Charlotte and Jonathan sent them rewritten by hand, since they don't trust computers, and when Jonathan shows them the company's fax letter, "Just the Fax", referencing a line from the television series, ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'', they tell him they think television is evil.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'': Dwarfs are expert craftsmen and some of the most technologically advanced of all the races in the world, but they are also staunchly traditionalist. Any significant leap of innovation is automatically suspect and any new designs will need decades or even centuries of careful planning before even a prototype is developed, and then centuries more of tinkering and testing before the technology is sufficiently proven for others to adopt it. Because their psyche prevents them from producing "umgak" (shoddy work), the shame and dishonour they feel if an unproven design causes the maiming or death of their fellow Dwarfs leads many adventurous young engineers to [[DeathSeeker take the Oath of the Slayer]].

* During the 1970s and 80s the anti-nuclear movement in the United States was at its peak due to incidents such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident Three Mile Island partial meltdown]], with certain environmental groups decrying nuclear power to this day. Currently, radiation is humanity's cleanest energy source, [[PyrrhicVictory and it's estimated for every one plant that was stopped by protests around that time 100 metric tons of CO2 was emitted instead]]. The only real reasons we're not [[ILoveNuclearPower powering every home with nuclear stations at the moment]] are the aforementioned public perception of the "dangers" of nuclear power, [[ShockinglyExpensiveBill the high start-up costs for building reactors]] and the fact that [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_uranium#Uranium_supply nuclear fuels are finite]], meaning that a society fully dependent on them [[TerminallyDependentSociety would one day be screwed when supplies run out, just like with fossil fuels]].

** In "[[Recap/SouthParkS10E2SmugAlert Smug Alert]]", the whole town gets hybrid cars and the resulting [[JustForPun smug]]-storm nearly destroys the west coast of the US.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' also has three examples: when the kids become obsessed with the Okama Gamesphere to the point of destroying an AncientConspiracy just to recover their Gamesphere, when Kenny plays his PSP to death and ends up using his game to command the Legions of Heaven, and when Cartman starts fooling around with space-time because he can't wait until the Nintendo Wii is launched. And there was Cartman's Trapper Keeper, which took over the world and had to be stopped via TimeTravel. On the other hand, the trope is [[PlayedForLaughs definitely not played seriously]].
** There's also the time when the whole town gets hybrid cars and the resulting [[JustForPun smug]]-storm nearly destroys the west coast of the US.

** UsefulNotes/{{NASCAR}} takes this UpToEleven - fuel injection was banned in 1957 and the ban was not rescinded until ''2012'', long after carburetors had become obsolete for road cars. Pushrod engines and four-speed manual transmissions are still used.

* Many of the Baramin (the bad guys) of ''TabletopGame/GeniusTheTransgression'' believe this. They're each defined by how and when they believe humanity's scientific and technological development took a wrong turn. Some of their beliefs aren't ''too'' crazy, for instance the [[RaygunGothic Atomists]] are [[IWantMyJetpack upset about the death of the space age dreams]], but the Oracles drive this UpToEleven: they're still complaining about Aristotle's Organon and want to bring back the good old ways espoused by Plato.

* This trope is often what some modern people believe to be the norm of Amish society. In reality, while Amish folk may prefer not to rely on technology, they do not see it as being sinful, and in fact, may accept some modern conveniences, provided it does not overwhelm them.

* ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' has the episode "The Great Muppet Cartoon Show". Scooter makes animation on his computer while Animal uses paint and keeps chanting "Messy!". Scooter gets ''trapped'' in a jail made of {{tron lines}} until he agrees with Animal. It's a {{broken aesop}}, since being messy was supposed to imply creativity, but ''Muppet Babies'' was a ClipShow (several movies clips, mostly ''Franchise/StarWars'' were used heavily throughout the series). It's a {{Funny Aneurysm Moment}} now that Lucasfilm has been sold to Disney who also owns Jim Henson studios ''and'' Creator/{{Pixar}}.

* The theme of numerous technology-themed {{Slasher Movie}}s, such as ''Film/ChainLetter, Film/{{Smiley}}, Vlog'' and ''Film/TheDen''.

* During the 1970s and 80s the anti-nuclear movement in the United States was at its peak due to incidents such as the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Mile_Island_accident Three Mile Island partial meltdown]], with certain environmental groups decrying nuclear power to this day. Currently, radiation is humanity's cleanest energy source, [[PyrrhicVictory and it's estimated for every one plant that was stopped by protests around that time 100 metric tons of CO2 was emitted instead]]. The only real reasons we're not [[ILoveNuclearPower powering every home with nuclear stations at the moment]] is the aforementioned public perception of the "dangers" of nuclear power, [[ShockinglyExpensiveBill the high start-up costs for building reactors]] and the fact that [[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_uranium#Uranium_supply nuclear fuels are finite]], meaning that a society fully dependent on them [[TerminallyDependentSociety would one day be screwed when supplies run out, just like with fossil fuels]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies1984'' has the episode "The Great Muppet Cartoon Show". Scooter makes animation on his computer while Animal uses paint and keeps chanting "Messy!". Scooter gets ''trapped'' in a jail made of {{tron lines}} until he agrees with Animal. It's a {{broken aesop}}, since being messy was supposed to imply creativity, but ''Muppet Babies'' was a ClipShow (several movies clips, mostly {{Star Wars}} were used heavily throughout the series). It's a {{Funny Aneurysm Moment}} now that Lucasfilm has been sold to Disney who also owns Jim Henson studios ''and'' Creator/{{Pixar}}.

* When 3D printers became widely available, a number of "think of the children!" types began worrying someone would 3D print guns. In fact, people ''have'', but they have been rather unreliable and capable of only firing low-power cartridges. One of them, the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberator_(gun) Liberator]], was based on the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FP-45_Liberator FP-45 Liberator Pistol]] but it was made out of plastic parts. People worried that criminals could now manufacture untraceable guns for cheap... except that it's made of even cheaper materials than the FP-45, fires a weaker cartridge (.380 ACP/9x17mm), and is still just a single-shot pistol incapable of holding its own in a realistic shootout against police. One Liberator actually shattered after firing exactly once. While a 3D-printed gun is still dangerous to anyone in its line of fire, there are multiple problems and dangers of the gun to its user that makes it impractical for criminal use. The biggest snag with the idea of using a 3D-printed gun for crime happens to be procurement of ammunition, which cannot be 3D-printed.

* Possibly the most literal example of this trope is in ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine''. Steam engines are usually portrayed as good hearted and helpful, whereas diesel engines (new in the 1950s) are painted as cruel, arrogant, and determined to see all steam engines scrapped. However, [[DarkIsNotEvil some diesels have been depicted in a kinder light]] and [[LightIsNotGood some steam engines are not entirely nice.]]

* Like in the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' example below, ''Theatre/StarlightExpress'' features heroic steam locomotives and JerkAss diesels. However, the only unambiguously ''evil'' character is [[spoiler: a caboose]].

** It's more of a belief that ''xenos'' technology is evil, because a) it was made by [[FantasticRacism filthy xenos creatures]] and b) [[MachineWorship it hasn't got the blessing of the Omnissiah.]] The true irony of the latter is that [[spoiler:it's a subversion of the first since the "Omnissiah" is actually a C'tan the Emperor beat into submission to act as inspiration for the Adeptus Mechanicus. At least according to ''Literature/HorusHeresy''.]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* ''Series/TheMonkees'' episode "Monkees vs. Machine" is all about a JerkAss toy company executive who is in favor of firing all unnecessary humans and let computers design and run most everything. Mike is seen as having a genius level IQ for confusing the computer that interviews potential employees.
* In the second season episode of ''Series/{{Sliders}}'', "Gillian of the Spirits", the protagonists are stuck on a world where the detonation of the atomic bomb scared everyone away from new technology, which is stuck in the 1950s. There is no television, digital hand watches, etc. And the Bureau of Anti-Technology was founded to keep any new technology from being accessed and to arrest those who either make it or possess it. Things are made worse by the fact that the dimensional timer is broken, and there are only basic hardware tools to fix it.
* Early in ''Series/StargateSG1'', the Air Force creates an alien/human hybrid craft (basically by bolting human weapons and control interfaces onto an alien fighter), which promptly hijacks itself and nearly kills the pilots by virtue of simply flying into space, out of range of every other craft they have. However, the moral isn't "NewTechnologyIsEvil" so much as it is "Playing with a BlackBox is a bad idea." Many later plots in the series involve alien tech that the humans have ''successfully'' dismantled and reverse-engineered.
* One ''Series/{{Elementary}}'' episode had a killer print a gun and bullets using a 3D printer and then dispose of the gun in a way that made it look like milk. If the guy hadn't been lactose intolerant and his wife hadn't been a vegan and Sherlock hadn't noticed 'milk' in his fridge the guy probably would've gotten away with it.
* ''Series/SeventhHeaven'': This show took place during the end '90s - beginning '00s, right at the time the internet became booming and mobile phones became a serious thing. The family resisted for a long time to own or participate in any of this new technology. Eric was still using his infamous pager at a time most people had mobile phones. (Granted, the fact that the family were financially tight was also a factor). Eric did have a laptop from season 1 on, but it was implied that it was only strictly for ministry business use, and that it never had an internet connection.

* J.R.R. Tolkien was once recorded as saying that the most evil invention ever inflicted on man was the internal combustion engine. While he wasn't an outright Luddite, Tolkien did have a dislike of industrialization and mechanization. A lot of this had to do with his time serving in World War I, and seeing the first tanks and mechanized war machines. This comes across in ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' and ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' when he describes the war machines of Sauron and Morgoth, including one instance in the former work where the enemy employs what are clearly ''tanks!''