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"How do I want to live?" Philosopher Rahel Jaeggi says this question is bound up in the concept of alienation. Our disconnection and dissatisfaction keep us from answering that question—but they also keep us from asking it in the first place.
So in this episode, Kate, Charlie, and I ask that question—and five more. We examine how work in the creator economy can reinforce competition and individualism when what we really need is solidarity and collective action. If you're curious what you can do to join with others for your own success and theirs, this episode has some ideas.
Footnotes:
So in this episode, Kate, Charlie, and I ask that question—and five more. We examine how work in the creator economy can reinforce competition and individualism when what we really need is solidarity and collective action. If you're curious what you can do to join with others for your own success and theirs, this episode has some ideas.
Footnotes:
- Kate Tyson: Whiskey Fridays (podcast), Wanderings (on Substack) and Wanderwell Consulting
- Charlie Gilkey: Productive Flourishing and Better Team Habits
- "What the creator economy promises and what it actually does" by Kyla Chayka in The New Yorker
- "Surplus populations are all around us" by Tara McMullin
- Alienation by Rahel Jaeggi
- "Metrics, Incentives, and the Seduction of Clarity" by Tara McMullin
- Casey Newton on Decoder with Nilay Patel
- "Algorithms at Work" (algoactivism) by Katherine Kellogg, Melissa Valentine, and Angéle Christin
As always, find an essay version of today's episode at whatworks.fyi
And speaking of the creator economy, if you appreciate the work I do, I'd be so grateful if you became a premium subscriber of What Works for just $7/month. Your support makes a world of difference when it comes to my ability to do this work.
And speaking of the creator economy, if you appreciate the work I do, I'd be so grateful if you became a premium subscriber of What Works for just $7/month. Your support makes a world of difference when it comes to my ability to do this work.
- (00:00) - The promise of the creator economy
- (00:48) - An overflow room for the surplus elite
- (02:31) - How do you want to live?
- (03:34) - Asking better questions about the creator economy
- (04:21) - 1. What are we willing to do to be heard?
- (06:23) - Creating for humans versus creating for the algo
- (09:40) - 2. What do we expect from platforms in return for our labor?
- (11:11) - A closer look at creator math
- (12:26) - Casey Newton, from Platformer, on the value of Substack subscribers
- (15:27) - Platforms can alter how we see our whole businesses--not just the marketing
- (16:03) - 3. How do you want to contribute to your communities?
- (17:11) - Charlie's switch to Substack
- (19:35) - The risks of going all in on a platform
- (22:30) - What do we want to build together?
- (25:58) - Creating relational layers outside of the algos & platforms
- (28:19) - 5. How will we organize?
- (28:37) - Algoactivism
- (31:25) - Revisiting: How do I want to live?
- (32:53) - Credits
Creators and Guests
What is What Works?
Work is central to the human experience. It helps us shape our identities, care for those we love, and contribute to our communities. Work can be a source of power and a catalyst for change. Unfortunately, that's not how most of us experience work—even those who work for themselves. Our labor and creative spirit are used to enrich others and maintain the status quo. It's time for an intervention. What Works is a show about rethinking work, business, and leadership for the 21st-century economy. Host Tara McMullin covers money, management, culture, media, philosophy, and more to figure out what's working (and what's not) today. Tara offers a distinctly interdisciplinary approach to deep-dive analysis of how we work and how work shapes us.