Technological resistance practices hold significant insights regarding the media’s role as much as its adoption and usage practices. However, studies examining media non-use have generally overlooked mobile phone resisters—individuals voluntarily deciding not to own mobile phones. Based on 25 in-depth interviews with mobile phone refusers, this study presents two refuser types differing in refusal dynamics. The first are ideologists, whose rejection stems from a formulated, critical worldview towards the mobile phone, in particular, and communication technologies, in general. The second are realizers, whose “post-factum resistance” resulted from a forced but positive experience of a temporary break in use (e.g., when their device was broken or stolen), motivating them to disconnect in an attempt to preserve the new, liberated space they experienced. Additional findings reveal the non-ownership practices adopted by the mobile phone refusers; the novel psychological and sociological motives underlying mobile phone refusal concerning the home space and digital well-being; refuser resistance discourse, which focuses solely on the medium’s nature and not its content; and how refusers negotiate the social status and stigma that accompanies their mobile phone refusal. Our study illustrates how mobile phone refusal stands apart from other media resistance, providing a deeper perspective on the price of connectivity, and thus underscoring the importance of studying these refusers. The uniqueness of mobile phone refusal is further expressed in its complexity, extremity, perceived authenticity, and visibility.

技术抵抗实践对媒体的作用及其采用和使用实践具有重要的见解。然而，关于不使用媒体的研究通常忽略了手机抵制者——自愿决定不拥有手机的个人。基于对手机拒绝者的 25 次深入访谈，本研究提出了两种拒绝动态不同的拒绝者类型。第一类是意识形态主义者，他们的拒绝源于对移动电话，特别是对一般通信技术的一种既定的、批判的世界观。第二个是实现者，他们的“事后抵抗”是由于暂时中断使用的被迫但积极的体验（例如，当他们的设备被破坏或被盗时），促使他们断开连接以试图保护他们所经历的新的、解放的空间。其他调查结果揭示了手机拒绝者采用的非所有权做法；关于家庭空间和数字幸福的手机拒绝背后的新的心理和社会学动机；拒绝抵抗话语，只关注媒体的性质而不是其内容；以及拒绝者如何协商因拒绝使用手机而带来的社会地位和耻辱。我们的研究说明了手机拒绝与其他媒体抵制的区别，提供了对连接价格的更深入的看法，从而强调研究这些拒绝者的重要性。手机拒签的独特性进一步体现在其复杂性、极端性、感知真实性和可见性上。