In the hills of West VirginiaA US state with a population of nearly 1.8 million. , a giant white ear listens in on deep space.

This is the world's largest radio telescope.¹ It scans the skies for aliens and asteroidsSmall bodies in space, made of metal and rock material. Asteroids usually orbit the sun, but if knocked off course they can be drawn into Earth's gravity and fall towards it. . And it needs perfect silence.

Green Bank is in the US National Radio Quiet Zone, where the internet, mobile phones and microwaves are banned.²

And in the last decade, people have moved here because they believe technology is making them sick. They call it electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), although the WHOShort for the World Health Organisation. says it has "no scientific basis".

You do not have to believe in EHS to be wary of technology. Since the pandemic, internet use has skyrocketed.

People are trying to detox: switch off devices for a day, a week, or longer.

"I want my life back," wrote Mark Boyle in 2016. He decided to live entirely tech-free. "It's a choice," he writes, "between the machine world and the living world" and he feels "healthier" for giving up technology.

But in a world with more phones than people, it may be too late.³ Experts say we depend on devices for everything. We work, shop, learn, play and connect through our screens.

The solution is "mindfulness", says digital expert Sina Joneidy. Quit scrolling and focus on using technology with purpose. The goal is to regain control without losing the benefits.

If you hate technology you might be called a Luddite. These were 19th Century textile workers who destroyed weaving machines to protest against working conditions.

But expert Jathan Sadowski says he's a "proud" Luddite, and "you should be too." Those factory workers were not stupid or against progress. "No technology is sacredConnected to God or another religious deity and so deserving of respect.", argues Sadowski, and we should reject tech that makes our lives worse.

And with the rise of AI, now may be our last opportunity to ask the question.

Yes: We need to reconnect with ourselves, each other and the world around us. Technology is distracting and ruins our concentration.

No: From medicine to communication and entertainment, technology makes our lives easier, faster and safer. Be mindful of how you use it, but a tech-free world would be a disaster.

Or... It all depends on what we mean by technology. Everything from a spoon to a supercomputer is a type of tech, a tool to help us do stuff. We need the right questions to separate the good from the bad.

West Virginia - A US state with a population of nearly 1.8 million.

Asteroids - Small bodies in space, made of metal and rock material. Asteroids usually orbit the sun, but if knocked off course they can be drawn into Earth's gravity and fall towards it.

WHO - Short for the World Health Organisation.

Sacred - Connected to God or another religious deity and so deserving of respect.