We don’t lack tools. We lack filters, boundaries, and meaningful defaults.
This idea has been kicking around in my head since FarCon NYC.

Lately, I’ve felt an overwhelming sense of opportunity, masked by the distraction of constant newness in AI and tech. It’s made me more sympathetic to the original Luddite movements. Not because I reject technology, but because I understand how easy it is to become paralyzed by abundance. The Luddites weren’t anti-progress; they were reacting to systems that moved faster than their ability to adapt. I get that now. When everything is possible, choosing becomes exhausting. And when you can’t choose, you don’t build.

The problem isn’t that we have too much tech. It’s that we don’t have enough clarity around how to use it. We don’t lack options. We lack filters. We need better systems to help us stay focused, make meaningful choices, and do the kind of work that matters.

I used to be obsessed with the idea of Maker’s Time, the belief that creativity needs uninterrupted space. One meeting in the middle of your day can ruin your momentum. Try being creative in the hour before a meeting. You’re not in flow, you’re in limbo. And after the meeting? Good luck. That loss of rhythm is expensive. With AI now compressing weeks of work into hours, the cost of that lost leverage is only growing.

That’s why I’ve started filtering more aggressively. I’ve removed tools and habits that distract from momentum. Swapping out traditional social media like Instagram and Facebook for builder-focused platforms like Farcaster has been one of the most important shifts. Strategic social feels like a co-working space for the internet. Status social feels more like a runway show. One is aligned. One is performative.

We’re at a turning point. The most successful people won’t be the most connected. They’ll be the most aligned. They’ll be the ones who act on their interests without waiting for permission or validation. AI is dissolving old bottlenecks, but the noise remains. How many companies still won’t get built? Not because the tools don’t exist, but because the signal gets drowned in the feed.

I’m not writing this because I have answers. I’m writing it because I know I’m missing things. FarCon amplified that for me. The most exciting part of this network isn’t the tech. It’s the people. Future cofounders are already in conversation here. That kind of intentional design matters.

One of my favorite builders, Db from Intori, said it best:

“Social media has become anti-social.”

It’s not about connection anymore. It’s about flexing. And that shift shapes what gets built and who gets seen. When was the last time you posted something because it felt expected? And when was the last time you shared something that felt creatively true? What was the difference in how you felt afterward?

Here are a few of the filters that have helped me lately:

• I got rid of my TV. Not because I don’t watch anything, but because it nudges me out of passive consumption and back into my environment.

• I prioritize reading. Both trashy fiction for fun and new releases from Striped Press to stretch my thinking.

• I track which spaces make me feel focused and energized, and I structure my weeks around spending more time in them.

So what is a New Luddite?
It’s not someone who fears technology. It’s someone who respects their attention.
Someone who chooses alignment over influence.
Someone who builds on purpose.

And increasingly, I’m seeing more of those people here on Farcaster. Respecting your attention isn’t about app blockers or productivity hacks. It’s about knowing yourself and making choices that feel out of step with the world’s distractions but fully aligned with your curiosity.