Friends!

My flight to Australia leaves in 24 hours. I'll be there to speak with politicians, advocates, and young people as the country's social media age law goes into effect on December 10.

No matter your stance on policy, this is a bold step and will yield valuable lessons for us as we build a stronger offline culture. I can't wait to share my observations.

And I can't wait to hear how everything goes on the ground in NYC this month. Read on for more deletion events, more pressure on Meta, Apple, Spotify—more ideas inspired by night-long dinners and public debate debriefs—more attention free to be brought elsewhere, and so forth.

Be well and warm out there—

Nick

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Do stuff together

Help with The Luddite Club documentary

This promises to be the most detailed look at our budding offline movement. The filmmaker has been around since day one. She's seeking donations (tax-deductible!) and post-production assistance. amanda.hannamcleer@proton.me, or learn more here.

Map the internet with Cyber Celibate

What would a map of the internet look like to you? Cyber Celibate is collecting drawings of it, and you should submit yours!

In 2009, co-founder of Wired, Kevin Kelly, asked everyone he knew to submit hand-drawn maps of the internet. It’s no secret that the internet has changed a lot since 2009. So let's do it again. The steps are simple:

1. Draw the internet as you imagine it to be today (template below)
2. Indicate where “home” is on the map
3. Send your submissions to tiffany@breakfastatmyhouse.com.

Take all creative liberties with this :) and stay tuned for the final collection.

Facilitation training, art builds, and tabling

Organizers in the community are running facilitation training and art build sessions to prepare for future events. Many are also looking for more help creating posters and tabling in public space. Email nickplante@proton.me indicating which of these you are interested in.

Raise the attensity

Along with its January book launch, SoRA is starting a national coalition of organizers who are helping people reclaim their attention from Big Tech. Consider joining for monthly meetings and resource shares.

Email peter@sustainedattention.org with questions.

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December Events

Mon., Dec. 1 | Sidewalk Study "PLAYING the POLITICAL" @ 7 p.m., FiDi

What are actors actually doing when they play a role? Hannah Arendt, one of the 20th century’s leading political theorists, wrote that only by acting and speaking in the public realm do we reveal the unique and essential nature of “who” we are. Artists may attempt to reify this essence in painting, sculpture, or writing, but it is only in theatre—“the political art par excellence”—that this essential nature can be truly conveyed.

In this study we’ll gather in FiDi to explore the kind of play that makes theater possible—and politics, too.

Led by Connor and Eleanor from SoRA Study Corps. Email griffin75006@proton.me for a spot.

Tues., Dec. 2 | HARD RESET "Down with Tech" Comedy Night @ 7 p.m., Marylou ($)

​Hard Reset is a new publication on Substack that covers how technology really works—not just the products, but the people and power shaping it. On December 2nd, we’re hosting a cocktail hour with some comedy and music in the East Village.

​Our headlining comedian is Nathan Macintosh, who has performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS, Conan on TBS, and multiple Just For Laughs galas. He has a YouTube special called “Down With Tech.”

​Nathan will perform a set starting at 7 PM, for which you can buy tickets here. After comedy, anyone can come by to grab a drink and meet all kinds of people: technologists, entrepreneurs, artists, lawyers, journalists, investors, writers, and philanthropists.

Wed., Dec. 3 | SoRA Attention Lab "COALITION" @ 6:30 p.m., DUMBO

Last Attention Lab of the year!

The School of Radical Attention’s flagship “Attention Labs” are experiential, participatory workshops dedicated to the joint exploration of human attention. Through group attention practices and guided discussions, we create and test tools to rebuild the art of sustained attention, which has been under attack by persuasive technologies.

This lab’s focus is COALITION: to work together to liberate our attention across our communities.

Sign up here.

Dec. 3, 10, 17 | SoRA Attention Activism 201 "ORGANIZING," Wednesdays @ 7:00 p.m., online

ATTENTION ACTIVISM is the collective movement to push back against the commodification of human attention—what we call "human fracking"—and create, space by community space, a world where we can flourish. In this training, we will explore practical strategies for ATTENTION ACTIVISM, drawing on texts by bell hooks, Paulo Freire, and Deva Woodly. In the 201 training, we will focus on developing the organizing, facilitation, and movement-building skills required to build groups for ATTENTION ACTIVISM. The bulk of the course will be dedicated to supporting participants toward an organizing project in their own communities.

Completion of our Attention Activism 101 seminar is required for participation in our 201 training. Participants who complete Attention Activism 201 will be eligible for inclusion in our national organizing coalition.

Brand-new course! Sign up at https://www.schoolofattention.org/enroll/.

Thurs., Dec. 4 | Cold Moon Party @ 8 p.m., Prospect Park North Entrance

Invite here—

Hosted monthly by Kyle Barnes. Email kyletuhr@gmail.com with questions.

Fri., Dec. 5 | Consumption Book Club: Land of Milk and Honey @ 6:00 p.m., telos.haus ($)

Consumption Book Club is where literature meets the dinner table. Each event centers on one book exploring a form of consumption—from food to fashion to futures. We’ll dig into these themes through guided discussions and embodied activities while working through a tasting menu inspired by the book itself. Feed your consumer habits with things that will actually leave you satisfied: community, connection, and cuisine.

This gathering will dive into Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang, exploring overconsumption, desire, and decadence without destroying the planet.

Sat., Dec. 6 | Spotify Unwrapped @ 2:00 p.m., Boshi's Place

an event to dance, delete, deplatform.

there will be informational zines, stations for playlist transferral and reflection, a presentation, musical celebration, and a grand finale with piñata. made with friends from boshis and lamp club.

all are welcome—from skeptics to the delete-curious to the already-deleted. rsvp here.

Sat., Dec. 6 | Study Corps: Poetry Intervention @ 2 p.m., Bryant Park

We’ll be close reading a poem in public … with the help of strangers.

An experimental session by SoRA’s new Study Corps.

Email griffin75006@proton.me for a spot!

Sun., Dec 7 | How Do We Play?: "PARALLEL PLAY" @ 2 p.m., Bushwick

Together we will paint ... write ... knit ... begin our cocktail cookbooks ..... make a diorama ...... cook ........ write me a nice letter ................ ❤️ come up with an invention ...........................

Bring something fun to do together, independently. This is PARALLEL PLAY.

Format: Intros → Focused fun → Optional show & tell

Hosted by Rebecca Lipsitch, who curates connection through public-space events and play with groups like How Do We Play and Street Lab.

Email rebecca.lipsitch@gmail.com for address!

Sun., Dec 7 and 21 | Date with Détournement @ 9 p.m., TBD

Join public art projects that push back against alienating tech.

First and third Sundays.

sighren.ludd@proton.me if you want in.

Mon., Dec 8 | All Tech Is Human's Responsible Tech Mixer @ 6 p.m., Kingston Hall

All Tech Is Human (ATIH) takes a whole-of-ecosystem approach to tackling thorny tech & society issues, shaping the Responsible Tech movement, and aligning our tech future with the public interest. They are known for their in-person gatherings, large Slack community, Responsible Tech Guide, Responsible Tech Job Board, bi-monthly livestream series, and regular reports and educational resources like their new Responsible AI course series.

ATIH is a great starting place for networking with others who desire better tools. RSVP to this end-of-year mixer here.

Tues., Dec 9 | Heat Initiative's Day of Action @ Apple Stores, All Day

Heat Initiative is a collective effort of concerned child safety experts and advocates pushing leading technology companies to better protect children.

On Tuesday December 9th, they will be holding a day of action against Apple to encourage folks to not buy an iPhone for the holiday season.

If you'd like to learn more, please reach out to kristen@heatinitiative.org.

Fri., Dec 12 | Idealist Poetry Showcase @ 6 p.m., Midtown

Join us for the Idealist Poetry Showcase on Friday, December 12th from 6–9 PM, hosted by Sedona Rose from Listening Lab.

Mingle with artists and nonprofit leaders, browse vendor tables, and light refreshments. This event is sponsored by Idealist, an organization that helps individuals find meaningful social impact work.

RSVP here.

To perform, email your work to sedonarose@listeninglab.nyc (cc: matthew.chavez@idealist.org).

Fri., Dec 12 | ACTION Potluck @ 7 p.m., Crown Heights

As the upcoming book Attensity! says, a screen-based life is rooted in a "catastrophic lie about what it means to be human." So what other ways of being are out there? As I've begun a process of expanding my attention this year, I've become more in tune with what my needs are in a given moment (to walk, to write, to sit and think, to be with others, to be alone, etc), and I've observed that the rhythms I naturally move to are different than what I've been taught. They aren't the rhythms of school and work, machines and systems. They often feel closer to the rhythms of storms and seasons. 

I long for a world that would ignite the storm inside me, that would bask in its torrents, relish its thunder, reciprocate its lightning. I think about the life-giving release of a romantic confession, the clarifying emptiness of a dying dream, the line of poetry that has traveled down decades and oceans but really was written only for me. 

How, in 2026, can we carve out space to express a freer exploration of our humanity? We'll workshop actions to take in the coming months—events to host, projects to help people offline—and we'll set them in motion over shared food.

Email Connor at griffin75006@proton.me.

Sat. and Sun, Dec 13 and 14 | Press Play Fair @ 12 p.m., Pioneer Works ($)

A weekend-long fair of books, records, art, ephemera, talks, and workshops.

Featuring a ton of allies from SoRA and NYRA to local booksellers!

From the site—"Showcasing over 130 artists, musicians, poets, writers, and exhibitors who defy categorization, Press Play invites you to discover new ways of reading, listening, creating, and complaining about culture. Curated by Micaela Durand, Pioneer Works Associate Director of Publishing, this year’s program confronts the complexities of desire, from sadomasochism and online subcultures to loneliness, sex, and what it means to connect today. What happens when bodies and desires collide with technology and communion? How do we transform intimacy into art? In this new hellscape, what radical actions are possible?"

Sat., Dec 13 | S.H.I.T.P.H.O.N.E. III @ 2 p.m., Fifth Ave. and Central Park South

The gnomes are back! Join for the biggest SHITPHONE yet at the flagship Apple Store, aka the "cube."

Free, public, participatory, cathartic, essential, ecstatic always. Even if it gives us rabies!!!!!!!

Email ppamphlet@proton.me if you'd like to help out ahead of time.

Sun., Dec 14 | Monthly Molting: Goose @ 1 p.m., Propsect Park

​Do you honk loudly about your travel plans too?

The December edition of Monthly Molting highlights the Canada Goose—controversial park resident, formation flyer, seasonal nomad. Come explore the lessons these bold wanderers have for our own lives as we navigate community, territory, and the art of making yourself heard.

In Monthly Moltings, join the Chimeras Collective to shed our human-centered perspectives and investigate the intimate lives of nonhumans in NYC. Each month, we’ll reflect and learn from the wisdom of how one species changes and adapts to change.

RSVP here.

Sun., Dec 14 | Social Infrastructure Building @ 2 p.m., Lower Manhattan

Inspired by last month's SHOULD WE GET OFF? event, organizers from Appstinence and other groups are working on the HOW—how we can stay off screens. This is an experiment in new ways to move through public space together.

More info to come. Email henry_m@appstinence.org if you want to help.

Sun., Dec 14 | Christmas Presence with August Lamm and Andy Henley @ 7 p.m., T.J. Byrnes

A phone-free variety show hosted by anti-tech activist August Lamm, featuring live music and literary readings. Devices will be placed in envelopes at the door. Come through for a singularly screenless celebration of art and humanity at T.J. Byrne's (77 Fulton St.).

Wed., Dec 17 | BETTER MAN @ 6:30 p.m., TBD inBrooklyn

M.A.G.L.A.R.&O!, or Marginal Alternatives to Guided Learning Analog Ready & Offline is a social experiment where we learn outside of conventional institutions and devices. This month, we will be discussing what it means to "be a better man" in the context of relationships, and performing masculinity. Reading(s) and play activity will be provided.

Location will be announced soon. Email knavehaven@pm.me to stay in the loop.

Thurs., Dec 18 | Design It for Us: Monthly Coalition Call @ 5:30 p.m., online

Design It for Us (DIFU) is a community of young people (26 and under) from around the world fighting to hold Big Tech accountable and improve our digital ecosystems.

Members are encouraged to attend monthly calls to learn more about state and federal tech policy, join campaigns, and directly advocate for legislative change.

Join here.

Thurs., Dec. 18 | Offline Book Club: Mood Machine @ 6:30 p.m., Stavros Library (SNFL) 4th Floor, Room 405

SNFL’s Offline Book Club is a space for in-person conversation about the role technology plays in our world. Each month highlights a different book on the topic of technology’s impact on our individual lives as well as society as a whole, followed by an open discussion to share recent experiences and observations.

This month, we’re focusing on Mood Machine by Liz Pelly (2025) → a book about the costs of streaming on listeners and artists alike.

Space is limited. Walk-ins welcome, but priority will be given to those who register in advance: https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/2025/12/18/offline-book-club-mood-machine

Sat., Dec 20 | Test Out Zing @ TBD

Zing is continuing to help people leave their phones at home. Email lior@gozinging.com to stay up to date ahead of the late January launch party.

All of January | MONTH OFFLINE

Month Offline has arrived in Brooklyn!

The first NYC cohort will consist of 5 weekday evenings from 7–9 pm starting in January. For anyone interested in joining they can go to Month Offline and follow the link for Month Offline NYC to sign up for a slot in Jan. The first cohort is filling up fast, but we will return in March so sign up no matter what and we will get you on the list for the next cohort!

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Weekly resources

Dec. 4, 7, 11 … | Appstinence Office Hours, Thursdays & Sundays online

Drop in for FREE personal guidance on reclaiming your life from persuasive platforms. Get the low-down on de-platforming and using alternative devices; discover how to fill newly won free time (yay!), and learn ways to talk about all this with your friends and family. Thursdays at 7 p.m. & Sundays at 1 p.m. EST: http://www.appstinence.org/appstinenceacademy.

To get on the list, email henry_m@appstinence.org.

Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27 | McGolrick Park Bird Club, every Saturday @ 9 a.m.

The Bird Club seeks to bridge the gap between the small community of birders and open-minded individuals who wish to experience the benefits of reconnecting with the natural world. (Birders have had a major influence on resistance to the attention economy!)

Learn more here: https://mcgolrickpark.org/mcgolrick-bird-club.

Dec. 8, 15, 22, 29 | Awareness-Building Meditation, Mondays in Crown Heights

We live in an era where everyone is categorizing each other, and themselves. And it’s not just the algorithms. It’s something inherent in our nature that has been amplified, that has existed for a long time within any human interaction. We want to understand ourselves, the moment we’re in, and we have so many people with “solutions,” “answers.” So why are we still lost? Maybe we aren’t asking the right questions.

I (Phil) ask: What does it mean to be connected in these times?

Spending less time scrolling is just a small piece of the work we need to do. Our meditation group is cultivating a richer sense of *awareness* together—space and clarity between thoughts, which leads to deeper connections and higher agency.

We meet every Monday at 7 p.m. Join for one session or for all of them—email Phil: nguy.philip@gmail.com.