Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 September 2026
In Chapter 5, we propose an alternative approach to technology regulation that focuses on (re-)building robust associations online and offline. We propose a three-tiered policy agenda. First, we propose measures to change the design of digital platforms to empower users to erect boundaries of information, membership, and authority among themselves. To this end, reformers should legally empower the production of “middleware,” third-party software that interoperates with dominant platforms to let users change the rules of social interaction and content moderation. Second, we propose measures to help intermediary associations assert control over both digital and physical spaces. We consider smartphone bans in schools, a “right to disconnect” outside the workplace, and even subsidies for institutions of art and culture that outlaw the use of technology within their walls. Third, we entertain more radical measures to carve out coordinated times and spaces away from technology. These include local “digital Sabbath” policies that (totally or partially) restrict internet usage for a limited, recurrent period.
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