10 reasons why visible tech is killing your magic

1. Generational Issue
Younger generations, who have grown up with technology in their hands, are naturally less impressed by the use of smartphones or tablets in a performance. They’ve seen screens their entire lives and know that these devices can do pretty much anything. The impact of a trick relying on a high-tech gadget is therefore weak, if not nonexistent. The magical effect is replaced by a sense of boredom, because they know technology can simulate anything. While for older generations, magic relies on secrets and mystery, modern technology makes everything dull. In other words, you lose the very essence of magic for an intergenerational audience.

2. Nolan and Cruise
Let’s take an example from cinema: Christopher Nolan and Tom Cruise are famous for avoiding digital special effects whenever possible. Why? Because they know that the audience detects it, consciously or unconsciously, and that this affects the tension and emotion of the moment. The audience is fully aware that cinema, like magic, is based on illusions. Yet, paradoxically, they prefer these illusions to be grounded in reality. In the same way, using visible technology in a magic trick deflates the illusion. It tells the audience: "This is fake," and all the wonder disappears. Magic is about lying with style, but the audience prefers you to lie with tangible, palpable objects rather than modern gadgets everyone knows can do almost anything.

3. Audience’s Expectations
Spectators come to a magic show with specific expectations. They want to be mystified, transported to a world where the impossible becomes possible. And in their vision of magic, there are no smartphones or visible gadgets. The very idea of seeing a magician pull out a phone during a trick breaks the immersion. Instead of being impressed, they think: "Oh, he used an app." It’s like seeing overly visible special effects in a sci-fi movie—it kills the mood.

4. Clarke’s Third Law
Arthur C. Clarke’s famous quote states that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." It’s a powerful argument for innovation. But the problem with today’s technology is that everyone knows how advanced it is. If you use a smartphone or electronic gadget in a trick, no one will be fooled. They see it for what it is: technology. However, when you use classic techniques, sleight of hand, or ordinary objects, the audience is left without an explanation. That’s where the real magic lies.

5. The Worst Revelation Medium
A smartphone is literally a device whose function is to display anything you want. It’s probably one of the worst mediums for revealing anything because everyone knows you can manipulate a screen. A phone screen is anything but immutable; it can show anything at any time. When you reveal a prediction on a smartphone, the audience sees nothing more than a screen that could have been changed at any moment. Using a more solid, "permanent" medium in the spectator's mind, like a piece of paper or a card, reinforces the illusion.

6. An Innocent Object
Ah, the classic argument: "Everyone has a smartphone, so it’s a common, innocent object." If we follow this logic, why not include underwear in a magic trick? After all, everyone wears it, so it’s a common object, right? The idea that something ordinary is harmless doesn’t hold up. Just because an object is common doesn’t mean it doesn’t raise suspicion. A smartphone is actually suspect in the context of a magic trick because it’s easy to manipulate its features.

7. Discerning Audiences
Certain audiences, especially those with a certain cultural or professional background, instantly perceive the difference between a real mystery and a basic trick involving a smartphone. And it’s precisely these people who have better professional networks and can open doors to high-end opportunities. If you rely on a smartphone for a trick, you risk losing their respect and missing out on prestigious collaborations. Visible technology positions you in a "low end" category and distances you from clients who value the traditional art.

8. Lowering the Bar
One of the biggest problems with using gadgets like smartphones is that these tricks often require no particular skill or talent. All you need is the right app, and that’s it. This means that anyone, even an amateur or a beginner, can replicate this kind of trick. As a result, you place yourself at the same level as inexperienced beginners. And this harms your credibility as a magician. If you associate yourself with these simple, shallow tricks, you risk damaging your career and being seen as a "low-level" performer. Is that really the image you want to project?

9. Invisible Tech
When I say "No Visible Tech", magicians seems to have a hard time understanding these three simple words. A borrowed phone is visible tech so it's not preferable to your own phone, even if you use it for one of its "normal" function: phone call, calculator, photo album, etc.
Also, despite following the "No Visible Tech" rule, I still use many INvisible tech: dice, duplication device, printer, sensors, etc. So I'm not rejecting all tech and advocating for old school methods only. I just limit myself to "No Visible Tech".

10. Timelessness
Another reason not to use visible technology in magic is the loss of timelessness in the performance. Magic has a certain timeless quality, evoking wonder that transcends eras and cultures. When you introduce visible technology like smartphones or gadgets, the trick becomes anchored in a specific time period, namely the present. This limits the sense of universality and can make the performance feel dated as technology rapidly evolves. A magic show that avoids visible tech maintains a sense of mystery and wonder that feels more eternal, allowing audiences to experience the performance as something that could have been just as awe-inspiring a hundred years ago or a hundred years into the future.
In contrast, using contemporary gadgets locks the experience to today’s technological limitations, losing the timeless enchantment that defines classic magic.

Conclusion: Protect the Mystery
In short, using visible technology in a magic trick doesn’t enhance it; it trivializes it. Magic relies on the art of surprise, misdirection, and mystery. Incorporating visible electronic gadgets kills this effect by making the trick’s method obvious. So, to preserve the wonder and keep magic alive, let’s leave smartphones and other technologies in our pockets, where they belong.