Absolute Freedom & Total Submission contains seven essays on technology and society that Davison wrote between 2012 and 2018. Many of the essays were first published in literary journals such as Kill Your Darlings and The Lifted Brow, however, they appear together for the first time in this volume. As a collection, they aim to elucidate and critique the impact that digital technologies such as smartphones, streaming services, and social media apps have had on our society. In these essays, Davison is critical of education’s mass adoption of computers, how Tinder transformed dating, how the internet moved from being a free space to one managed and driven by commercial interests, and how social media companies adopted cognitive tricks to condition their users. Davison’s most famous essay is also included: ‘Out of Service: Lessons on Being Phone Free’. In this essay, Davison recounts how his life changed once he gave up his mobile phone, and how he realised he was better off without one.

Accompanying the essays is Davison’s series ‘The Sadness is Widespread’. The series uses portraits taken in 2018, however, the final artworks were produced in 2021. Until now, this series has not been published or exhibited.

First edition of 50, signed and numbered by the artist.