T. Wang, Bard College MBA in Sustainability
We all know a compulsive documentarian. Not a moment can be experienced without a carefully crafted tableau, hand selected filter, or pithy hashtags. In fact, this might be you. I know I started slipping into this mindset some years ago. I itched to capture, frame, and share a diary of stills and fleeting thoughts. I even threw myself into online debates. I meticulously dissected every opposing argument, drafted lengthy dissertations on topics ranging from politics to pop culture. I became addicted to the “reply” button and craved the satisfaction of “the last word”. I waited for the approval of acquaintances and strangers meted out in pixel hearts and thumbs turned up. But at some point, I came to realize that my participation was not yielding what I thought it would. I felt no lasting satisfaction in having proverbially screamed into the void. A view counter aggregating algorithmic attention to a photo of my silhouette in a sunset is ultimately hollow compared to my memory of experiencing the real thing.
I started to resent the digital networks that have become ubiquitous social tools, especially as alarming information came to light regarding the way our information and attention are monetized, collected and controlled. Now apparent, these tools do not exist as an altruistic benefit to humanity, they reflect and support the capitalist system they were born out of. We have come to accept that, as users, we provide the largely unpaid labor of content creation, that our information will be harvested and sold and that the very same information will be used to direct the algorithm that keeps us scrolling.1 We are convinced that to succeed professionally and socially, we must participate in this system of extraction and control, and we should replicate our own commodification by treating ourselves as living brands.
Our Workspaces
We dove headfirst into the connectivity that was promised by technology without interrogating what kinds of social norms the new technology is encouraging. What happens when the capitalist love for productivity is proliferated and distilled through social media? Staff writer at New University and sociology student, Deanza Jayaputri Andriansyah of U.C. Irvine, described it as the “LinkedIn effect” in her 2025 article describing how the confluence of social media and hustle culture is leading to burnout among Gen Z professionals. Treating ourselves as living brands means we are constantly eroding the boundary between leisure and work. As we consume content about someone else’s “hustle”, we are encouraged to match or outperform what we see. These expectations are clearly unsustainable and likely lead to uneven outcomes for workers from different backgrounds. For example, neurodivergent workers struggle in the work place more so than their peers.2 From my personal experience as a neurodivergent human and professional, work life balance is already challenging to maintain even without the added pressure to curate an identity. And does this constant curation lead to authentic representation? Does it lead to better outcomes? Higher quality of outcomes? More creative outcomes? More ethical outcomes?
To maintain sustainable workspaces, we need to be able to draw and feel clear boundaries when work begins and ends. We should also redefine success to include personal time and interests outside of professional life. It may seem counterintuitive, but studies show that organizations that promote better work-life balance actually see better productivity from their workforce.3
Our Relationships
Despite social media actually doing little to alleviate loneliness for most people,4 I understand the allure of even simulated connectivity. What if we decided to focus on our micro-communities again? I came across this Axios article about how Americans (especially younger Americans) associate with our neighbors less and less. I understand individuals who may struggle to find community within their immediate geography. I am an immigrant and woman of color who grew up in rural areas with low diversity. I often felt alienated from my peers, but these less than ideal experiences taught me how to search for common ground in unlikely situations.
Last year, I struck up a conversation with a neighbor down the road. We bonded over her homespun apiary and our shared love of gardening. However, it became quickly apparent that we hold wildly different political perspectives. She also expressed opinions that are counter to scientific consensus on climate change and other environmental issues. At this point, it would be common in an online discourse for one party to shame the other, but why would I speak like that to a neighbor? Instead, I appealed to our common interests to build a relationship of understanding. I asked her questions and shared personal stories that introduced another perspective. She seemed grateful for my approach. Later that day she texted me when and where our local city council representative held town halls and encouraged me to join her. She said that we may hold opposing political views, but everyone’s voice matters when building community. In the countless times I have engaged in online discourse (regardless of my approach), I never once felt like I ever came close to changing someone’s point-of-view. But with my neighbor, I have hope that I at least gave her a perspective she would not have otherwise heard.
During my education, I was mostly taught how to communicate through formal and official channels. I was taught how to write, how to organize my ideas, how to make presentations, etc. However, no one taught me how to build relationships with someone who is unlike me—someone who thinks differently or may hold hostile opinions. These were skills I had to build on my own through trial and error. I wonder how things would be different if we did teach these skills. To be clear, no one should feel obligated to engage those with hostile opinions in all situations. Physical and psychological safety come first! But I do think we are missing opportunities for change at the micro-scale by always focusing on the macro.
Not All Bad
To be clear: I am not a Luddite. Social media has absolutely been a tool for good in many occasions, like giving voice to the oppressed. I follow content creators that make me laugh, those who make me think and those who inspire me to create. But, I have become increasingly careful and aware of how and when I engage, especially with the rise of AI generated content and AI fueled data collection.
- De, Debasmita, Mazen El Jamal, Eda Aydemir, and Anika Khera. “Social Media Algorithms and Teen Addiction: Neurophysiological Impact and Ethical Considerations.” Cureus, January 8, 2025. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77145.
↩︎ - “Majority of Neurodivergent Employees Experiencing Mental Health Issues, Study Finds.” People Management, September 6, 2022. https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1798074/majority-neurodivergent-employees-experiencing-mental-health-issues-study-finds.
↩︎ - Marecki, Łukasz. “Impact of Work-Life Balance on Employee Productivity and Well-Being.” Journal of Management and Financial Sciences, no. 50 (July 2, 2024). https://doi.org/10.33119/jmfs.2023.50.9.
↩︎ - Craine, Kelly. “Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword: Study Links Both Active and Passive Use to Rising Loneliness | Media and Public Relations | Baylor University.” Baylor University, February 6, 2025. https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2025/social-medias-double-edged-sword-study-links-both-active-and-passive-use-rising.
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