This piece hit hard, especially that line about becoming your own foreman. Oof. Been there, mouse-wiggling like it’s a sacred ritual...
It immediately reminded me of David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs, where people quietly suffer under the weight of pointless roles they have to pretend are meaningful. But this post goes a step further as it doesn’t just explore the futility, it situates it in the age of surveillance technologies. It’s not just that the job is nonsense, it’s that we’re being watched performing the nonsense. And that does something deep to your sense of self!!!!
Anyway, thanks (and sorry) for making me feel deeply seen 😂
Ahh, thank you --- and apologies for the delay in replying, life’s been a little… surveillance-heavy lately.
You’re spot on with the Graeber reference. I’ve known about 'Bullshit Jobs' for a while but haven’t actually read it yet --- maybe this is the nudge I needed. What struck me most in your comment was that line "being watched performing the nonsense". That really is the shift, isn’t it? It’s not just that the work is hollow, it’s that our hollowing is being measured, time-stamped, optimised!!! Like the algorithm doesn’t just track the ritual, it teaches you how to bow.
And the worst part? Most of us know. We’re not deluded just complicit, tired, and overexposed!
Anyway, really appreciate you sharing this. It’s strange how mouse-wiggling and fake typing can feel so universally sacred and yet still so isolating.
This piece hit hard, especially that line about becoming your own foreman. Oof. Been there, mouse-wiggling like it’s a sacred ritual...
It immediately reminded me of David Graeber’s Bullshit Jobs, where people quietly suffer under the weight of pointless roles they have to pretend are meaningful. But this post goes a step further as it doesn’t just explore the futility, it situates it in the age of surveillance technologies. It’s not just that the job is nonsense, it’s that we’re being watched performing the nonsense. And that does something deep to your sense of self!!!!
Anyway, thanks (and sorry) for making me feel deeply seen 😂
Ahh, thank you --- and apologies for the delay in replying, life’s been a little… surveillance-heavy lately.
You’re spot on with the Graeber reference. I’ve known about 'Bullshit Jobs' for a while but haven’t actually read it yet --- maybe this is the nudge I needed. What struck me most in your comment was that line "being watched performing the nonsense". That really is the shift, isn’t it? It’s not just that the work is hollow, it’s that our hollowing is being measured, time-stamped, optimised!!! Like the algorithm doesn’t just track the ritual, it teaches you how to bow.
And the worst part? Most of us know. We’re not deluded just complicit, tired, and overexposed!
Anyway, really appreciate you sharing this. It’s strange how mouse-wiggling and fake typing can feel so universally sacred and yet still so isolating.