Now, let’s pause for a second. I’m a tech reviewer. I literally make a living testing the latest gadgets and telling you whether they’re worth buying. Every week, another shiny device arrives at my studio, demanding attention. So yes, I see the irony of me writing about slowing down. But that’s exactly why the conversations in Paris hit me so hard.
Because the truth is that our technology consumption practices are broken. What is the Slow Tech Uprising?
The “slow tech uprising” is a growing movement that pushes back against the idea that progress equals speed. For decades, we’ve been trained to think newer is better. phones that can run for a year. Laptops that feel obsolete after two. a culture filled with unboxing videos and never-ending upgrades. Slow tech flips that script. It’s not about rejecting technology — far from it. It’s about using it differently:
Keeping devices for longer.
replacing rather than repairing. Buying refurbished instead of brand new.
choosing equilibrium over exhaustion. In short: it’s about tech that works for us, not the other way around.
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The “Ick” of Fast Tech
One of the panellists described something we’ve all felt: the ick.
That moment when a telecom giant lures you into a “free phone” deal, only for you to realise you’re chained to a predatory contract that’ll cost thousands more in the long run. The unpleasantness of spending an hour doomscrolling with nothing to show for it. The ick when you’re pressured into upgrading a device that works perfectly fine.
Fast tech is designed to create these moments. To keep us hooked, locked in, and endlessly consuming. And the data shows people are fed up:
Mentions of “slow tech” are up 95% on Reddit in the past year.
Eighty-two percent more people are talking about reuse and repair. At BackMarket, demand for refurbished devices has grown 10x in the last decade.
This isn’t just a fringe idea anymore. It’s happening.
Why This Isn’t Just About Fashion
Yes, resale platforms like Depop have contributed to normalizing fashion circularity. But let’s be real: the stakes are far higher in tech.
A T-shirt might last a season. A smartphone can last years, if we let it. The environmental footprint of producing a single laptop dwarfs that of fast fashion. And then there’s e-waste: mountains of discarded devices, many of which still work, piling up across the globe.
Fast fashion might have sparked the movement. But fast tech is where the real battle lies.
The Cost of “Always New”
Think about how tech companies have shaped our behaviour. an ongoing upgrade cycle. Phones glued to our hands. Notifications pulling us back in at every moment.
And behind the scenes, data centres guzzling electricity and water to fuel this attention economy. Algorithms designed to keep us scrolling because outrage sells better than truth. devices designed for planned obsolescence. Freedom was the promise of technology. But somewhere along the line, it became frenzy.
The Circular Alternative
The optimistic part? The circular economy for tech is no longer niche. It’s mainstream.
Refurbished phones and laptops are saving people money while keeping devices in circulation.
From local fix-it shops to global brands that sell genuine spare parts, repair movements are expanding. Software updates are being extended (slowly but surely) to keep older devices relevant.
And most importantly, customers are leading the way. People are choosing refurbished because it makes sense. Choosing repair because it gives them freedom. Choosing “enough” over “more.”
As one speaker put it: “Doing good has become good business.”
Reclaiming Our Time
Slow tech isn’t just about the devices we buy; it’s about how we use them.
Dr. Caitlin Regere, one of the speakers, made a point that stuck with me: our attention is the product. Tech platforms profit when we stay glued to screens, so the system is designed to keep us hooked. That means endless feeds, personalised silos, and addictive loops.
But when people reclaim their time, incredible things happen. According to Reddit’s data:
DIY activities are up 50% year-on-year.
Outdoor time is becoming more popular. The wellness industry — fuelled by people looking for ways to slow down — continues to grow.
In other words, when we step back from the frenzy, we don’t lose out. We get our lives back.
Why Tech Reviewers (like Me) Should Care About This This is where it gets personal. My job revolves around new tech. I write reviews of the most recent iPhone, foldable, and headphones each year. And I love doing it. Tech is exciting. Innovation matters.
But sitting in Paris yesterday, I couldn’t ignore the contradiction. My work feeds into the same upgrade culture we’re all trying to rethink. That doesn’t mean I stop reviewing new devices, but it does mean I need to be more intentional about how I talk about them.
