Like Factory

The work week was vaguely defined. Nobody could decide when they were employed or not. Machines were mobile and could often fit into a pocket. It wasn’t explicitly stated that staff had to respond at any time of the day or night. People loved their jobs and sometimes even felt that they could be their real selves while in the factory.

The factory traded in interaction and identity. It manufactured content profiles and personalities. The factory studied their staff and managed the internal dynamics like a game show. It noted every way it could make the staff more productive. The factory didn’t provide any retirement plans or medical benefits. Employees were responsible for their own transport. South African historians would later compare it to the dop system in the old days in the Western Cape. Payment via product.