The Luddites: How did they get that bad reputation?

Rage against robots: Emotional and motivational dimensions of anti-robot attacks, robot sabotage, and robot bullying

“…Decades ago, Stern (1937) characterized the resistances to the adoption of technological innovations and found that "machine wreckers" expressed dissatisfaction with automation by instituting strategically-planned damage. The machine wreckers of previous centuries had limited options for their attacks; however, many of them were quite strategic in their activities and planned and timed their attacks to cause maximum possible impact (Hodson, 1995;Linton, 1992;Pearson, 1979;Tierney, 2019). In the past (between 1815 and 1848), the aggressive activities of the Luddites drew the attention of political and social leaders to particular issues.…”

“…In the past (between 1815 and 1848), the aggressive activities of the Luddites drew the attention of political and social leaders to particular issues. The Luddites were skilled machinery workers who chose to counter certain technological shifts (Linton, 1992). The Luddites who were followers of Ned Ludd were associated with anti-automation themes with the term Luddite often used in reference to such perspectives (Dorson, 1965;Manuel, 1938;Jones, 2013).…”