As pointed out by rabbis and attendees, the ultra-Orthodox community has weathered a similar storm before. There was a generation that adopted TV with little question, before it was recognized as a potential evil. The rabbis convened, and decided that it was a detriment, and almost any Hasid worth his salt these days doesn’t even own a TV.
The hope is that the rally this weekend could spark a similar shift, encouraging the faithful to shun the internet except when entirely necessary. But that’s really the whole problem: there’s no necessity to TV, but the internet is already considered much more than a modern convenience. It’s needed for work, to pay bills, to communicate, and to look up knowledge that someday won’t even be found in paper alternatives. Can it be truly avoided?
This is the most fascinating thing I’ve read in a while.