The Luddite Klubcard
2014

Our little way of saying 'no thank you'.

Introducing the Luddite Klubcard: the new, must-have method of digital vandalism, for use at all major supermarkets.

Simply swipe your Luddite Card every time you’re asked for a loyalty card at a self-service checkout. Each time you swipe, the magnetic strip on the back of the card will release a virus into the self-service-server.*

Stand back and watch as the machine coughs, splutters and seizes up. Used multiple times, by as many members of the Luddite Klub as possible, the Luddite Card aims to render the machines useless, helping people to question the sort of technology they want, and striking fear into the hearts of shareholders, managers and investors, left, right and centre.

* No it won’t, of course. The Luddite Klubcard is purely a work of design fiction, created by artists Conway and Young to highlight the unwanted rise of self-service machines across our society. I collaborated with Conway and Young to write the marketing materials for the card, which, as you can imagine, was a hoot. My favourite lines are:

The Luddite Klubcard is brought to you by the Luddite Klub: an imaginary association of thinkers and activists. We celebrate creativity, mutual aid and common ownership. We don’t want a life that’s faster, easier and cheaper. We want a life that’s slower, simpler and fairer.