Thread by @tanejamainhoon

#Thread on 'Commodification fatigue':

I haven't been able to write much since the second wave. Initially, it was the emotional toll that led to, what is called, 'compassion fatigue' (aka, I was dead inside). But I realise now it's more than that: it's 'commodification fatigue'.

2/ I'm exhausted. Of seeing how the internet has turned every thought, feeling and action into a commodity. And worse, we have now started ascribing value to people based on whose emotion - in the shortest, smartest, snazziest way - can fetch the most likes, shares & validation.

3/ So there is a performance pressure on everyone to 'build in public':
From startup founders to estate agents to doctors, everyone has to now be a content creator, to stay relevant.
And from engineers to lawyers to artists, everyone has to now be a commentator, to feel relevant.

4/ As if the internet didn't give us enough to do -
Have a great body, job, partner, 3 am friend
PLUS eat right, sleep right, do yoga, meditate, walk 10K steps
PLUS self love, self care, self worth
PLUS keep on top of all TV, books, opinions -
now we also have to *be* content?

5/ Those who are still learning are compelled to put out threads about what *you* can learn from them.
Those who are still struggling, are pressed to make content about how to be successful young.
Those who have crippling self doubt, are telling you 5 ways to be more confident!

6/ Sure, to each their own. But my concerns are:
- By normalising this furious hustle to do more, be more, and be seen more, we will either burn out or break down.
- By ascribing value to people based on their internet clout, we are glorifying performative-ness over performance.

7/ Yes, some good has come out of it too:
For eg. I'd have been much smarter, sorted (and possibly insufferable) if I had access to reels breaking down complex topics by psychologists, lawyers, financial experts, gender experts, during school & college (that don't teach these!)

8/ But the problem is, today *everyone* is a psychologist, lawyer, financial expert, real estate agent, scientist, love guru, side-hustler, thought leader, community builder, opinion shaper, change maker.

And if everyone is everything, then is anyone really anything at all?

9/ This isn't coming from bitterness, but from a bit of residual anger. About how, in the chase for clout, we have prioritised news cycles over life, death, trauma & grief.

We didn't even mourn our dead from the second wave because it wasn't working for the social algorithms..

10/ And yes, this thread may play out like the commodification of my frustration. But I'm sharing this because I hope:
That we create because we want to, and not because we need to.
And that we speak only when we have something to say, and not because we have to say something..

#EndThread