There’s a promise inherent in the idea of the “new economy,” the economy where content and culture are the most valuable capital. For creative, educated people this is supposed to be a golden era. A time when we can write our own ticket, if not to fortune then perhaps to fulfillment. New economy workers in previously inaccessible parts of the world can have a modern career while living a traditional life. The tools of the internet age have flattened the world and made this transformation a reality.
But like so many other visions that become incarnate, the reality is a lot more nuanced, with plenty of dark corners that maybe didn’t make it into the original vision. Like the cultural dynamics that no doubt contributed to the death of an advertising copy writer in Indonesia yesterday. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, copy writing is a dangerous profession. Except that no, it’s not.
What’s dangerous is the cult of productivity that we have build up around the tools that have flattened the earth. They are always right there, and we can always do just a little bit more. We fetishize the “productive day” as if every other kind of day is inferior. We justify stepping away from the information stream on the grounds that it will make us more effective when we return without considering the value of a sabbath for its own sake. “I’m so busy” is the ultimate humblebrag, and what it really means is “I’m such an important person to have this much to do.”
And we are killing ourselves. Literally. Certainly the pressure from employers, colleagues, smart phone manufacturers, fiber optic internet service providers, and a whole host of other voices are real. But we have internalized these voices. From tiger moms to Wall Street traders to rappers “on their grind,” this glorification of execution is something that we have taken to heart. But our hearts are breaking under the strain.