Afraid of the Machine: Technophobia in Modern Literature

By Brandon Engel

Technophobia, defined by Merriam-Webster as a “fear or dislike of advanced technology or complex devices,” has been used by science-fiction, horror and fantasy authors as a tool for playing on the innate fears of technophobic readers since the idea first took hold during the Industrial Revolution, as skilled workers in the textile trade began to be replaced by framing machines and powered looms, operated by lower-paid, unskilled workers.

A group of textile craftsmen, known as...