Every word of this is gold. I view boredom like the character in "I Who Have Never Known Men" you mentioned and plan to read it immediately based on that. I find boredom illuminating and transformative. However, I used to be dirt poor and now I am wealthy, and the boredom of the rich is SO fucking... disturbing. I get into the fancy airport lounges now and drink complimentary mimosas and eat free gourmet food while literally looking down on (they design the lounges this way so that you feel superior to those in "steerage" as they joke about those who don't have the right credit card) people who are having an entirely different experience. An experience that was mine for most of my life.
And I'm glad I grew up poor. Because I know how to be bored. We couldn't afford video games or cable tv when I was a kid; I had a library card. So when I'm around these people who take a comfortable chair for granted, I watch them. They mostly scroll their phones and look... bored. My husband is a pilot and sometimes flies us private. The people at those airports are even MORE bored, often complaining about how long it takes to refuel. It creeps me out. I think it's inhuman. Not that I get overly excited about my new privilege but that I'm pretty sure that's how people in 1780s France ended up eating hummingbird tongues.
This hits. Boredom isn't just personal; it's designed. Capitalism manufactures dissatisfaction, then sells us the cure, whether it's a streaming subscription, an overpriced airport snack, or an aspirational "dopamine detox" retreat. And brands? They're not just selling products anymore; they're selling micro-escapes from this engineered restlessness. The best ones understand that people don’t just want to consume; they want to feel immersed in a vibe, in a narrative, in a world that momentarily makes the monotony feel meaningful.
That’s why nostalgia marketing works, why “quiet luxury” isn't about price but about the illusion of time, why the most engaging brand campaigns don’t just push products but create shared experiences. Because in an attention economy built on perpetual boredom, the brands that win aren’t the loudest, they’re the ones that make us forget we were even looking for an escape in the first place.
I love the Byung Chul-Han reference! I see that you’ve largely followed in his footsteps and interpreted boredom and its potential effects from a Heideggerean perspective. I wonder though whether such revolutionary potential is truly present embedded in the experience of boredom. Correct me if I misunderstood your words, but both you and Heidegger propose that through it one could possibly reach the experience of a certain nothingness which could result in forming a meaningful relation to one’s existence. Now, I agree with the first presumption, that nothingness is ultimately a source of boredom, but I wonder whether it’s existential or perhaps, ultimately, is it just a mark of absence of the ideological object of desire (either considered in psychoanalytical or Deleuzean-Guattarian sense). In the case of the latter I would approach the possibility of true disruption coming as a result of boredom with some healthy suspicion. Now, don’t get me wrong, at my core I am Heideggerean as well, but my recent inquiries have put to question some of his, let’s say non-„purely ontological”, theories, specifically because he quite consciously does not account for ideological framework in which interpretation takes place and for which it remains a crucial context.
Reading this reminded me of a certain part of "Severence" by Ling Ma, and the MC's pursuit of continued routine structure in a rapidly changing world despite how often she found herself bored and hating the routine her life had become. In lots of ways she had no choice and in lots of other ways she felt she had no better choice. Boredom really does have a changing definition not only based one economic status but cultural as well! Awesome read.
now thinking about deleting instagram
this was such a nuanced, thoughtful reflection of boredom and how we experience it. loved it!
Read this at the airport and it felt so much more real.. always in awe of your words.
this was so beautifully written
Superb! Again.
Very enjoyable read
Its true u are my fav gen z philosopher
deep, thoughtful, and very well written. loved it
very well written, loved reading it!
eeek just what i needed on a friday night time to lock in 🏃♀️
Every word of this is gold. I view boredom like the character in "I Who Have Never Known Men" you mentioned and plan to read it immediately based on that. I find boredom illuminating and transformative. However, I used to be dirt poor and now I am wealthy, and the boredom of the rich is SO fucking... disturbing. I get into the fancy airport lounges now and drink complimentary mimosas and eat free gourmet food while literally looking down on (they design the lounges this way so that you feel superior to those in "steerage" as they joke about those who don't have the right credit card) people who are having an entirely different experience. An experience that was mine for most of my life.
And I'm glad I grew up poor. Because I know how to be bored. We couldn't afford video games or cable tv when I was a kid; I had a library card. So when I'm around these people who take a comfortable chair for granted, I watch them. They mostly scroll their phones and look... bored. My husband is a pilot and sometimes flies us private. The people at those airports are even MORE bored, often complaining about how long it takes to refuel. It creeps me out. I think it's inhuman. Not that I get overly excited about my new privilege but that I'm pretty sure that's how people in 1780s France ended up eating hummingbird tongues.
FANTASTIC essay.
This hits. Boredom isn't just personal; it's designed. Capitalism manufactures dissatisfaction, then sells us the cure, whether it's a streaming subscription, an overpriced airport snack, or an aspirational "dopamine detox" retreat. And brands? They're not just selling products anymore; they're selling micro-escapes from this engineered restlessness. The best ones understand that people don’t just want to consume; they want to feel immersed in a vibe, in a narrative, in a world that momentarily makes the monotony feel meaningful.
That’s why nostalgia marketing works, why “quiet luxury” isn't about price but about the illusion of time, why the most engaging brand campaigns don’t just push products but create shared experiences. Because in an attention economy built on perpetual boredom, the brands that win aren’t the loudest, they’re the ones that make us forget we were even looking for an escape in the first place.
I love the Byung Chul-Han reference! I see that you’ve largely followed in his footsteps and interpreted boredom and its potential effects from a Heideggerean perspective. I wonder though whether such revolutionary potential is truly present embedded in the experience of boredom. Correct me if I misunderstood your words, but both you and Heidegger propose that through it one could possibly reach the experience of a certain nothingness which could result in forming a meaningful relation to one’s existence. Now, I agree with the first presumption, that nothingness is ultimately a source of boredom, but I wonder whether it’s existential or perhaps, ultimately, is it just a mark of absence of the ideological object of desire (either considered in psychoanalytical or Deleuzean-Guattarian sense). In the case of the latter I would approach the possibility of true disruption coming as a result of boredom with some healthy suspicion. Now, don’t get me wrong, at my core I am Heideggerean as well, but my recent inquiries have put to question some of his, let’s say non-„purely ontological”, theories, specifically because he quite consciously does not account for ideological framework in which interpretation takes place and for which it remains a crucial context.
Reading this reminded me of a certain part of "Severence" by Ling Ma, and the MC's pursuit of continued routine structure in a rapidly changing world despite how often she found herself bored and hating the routine her life had become. In lots of ways she had no choice and in lots of other ways she felt she had no better choice. Boredom really does have a changing definition not only based one economic status but cultural as well! Awesome read.