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Turn Your F*cking Phones Off review – a tremendous takedown of big tech
Hannah Maxwell’s Edinburgh Fringe show, Turn Your F*cking Phones Off, is praised as an energetic critique of big technology, smartphone dependency and the perceived erosion of democracy. Blending comedy, audience participation and personal storytelling, it argues that everyday digital habits can feed systems that profit from division and political manipulation.
The performance follows two connected strands: Maxwell’s past work for a secretive organisation influencing public discourse, and her growing alarm over her own screen addiction. She uses karaoke, games and an old-fashioned payphone to contrast real-world connection with algorithm-driven online life; the show runs at Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 31 August.
In short
- A lively Fringe show attacks smartphone addiction and big tech’s influence.
- Maxwell links digital habits to political division and democracy concerns.
- It combines serious arguments with games, karaoke and audience interaction.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Technology companies have engineered products specifically designed to maximise user engagement and data extraction, regardless of psychological or social consequences. The algorithms governing what billions see daily are optimised for engagement rather than truth, creating filter bubbles that amplify division and undermine informed democratic participation. These systems extract tremendous commercial value from users' attention and personal data whilst externalising costs—anxiety, polarisation, misinformation—onto individuals and society.
The case against
Digital technology has empowered unprecedented global communication and access to information, benefiting billions through employment, connection and opportunity. Users retain significant agency in their technology choices, and concerns about addiction often underestimate individuals' capacity for self-regulation. Moreover, attributing democratic erosion primarily to technology oversimplifies deeper structural and political causes, and many algorithmic features actually help people discover diverse, relevant content rather than trapping them in ideological echo chambers.
Explained simply
Smartphones and social media are built around services that collect attention and personal data, often using algorithms to choose what people see. These systems can help people communicate and find information, but critics argue that the business models behind them can also reward divisive or misleading content.
Hannah Maxwell is a comedian and performer whose show draws on her past work for an organisation that sought to influence public discussion, as well as her concerns about her own phone use. The wider debate is about how digital platforms shape everyday habits and public life, and what responsibility technology companies and users have for their effects.
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