Moderation

Girlie is the oldest cousin in the family trying to keep everyone afloat and maintain the veneer of financial success after the economic crash. The social media moderation job she takes helps put her on a path to start paying the family's mortgage, getting exorbitant gifts for her mom, putting a deposit on a fancy event space for her cousin, etc. It's a pretty big burden she's put on herself. And for what? So her mom can show off her latest designer bag to her relatives and feel "good" about herself?

Girlie seems to be somewhat immune to the daily intake of horrors she needs to witness and examine as part of her job. She's sharp-witted, sarcastic, and a cynic through and through...so someone I liked immediately. But, after a while it becomes clear that she is indeed unhappy.

The quote that really encapsulates how incisive and dry the humor is:

"Okay, I'll take your carbon offsets for my brain."

This is in reference to "immersive" therapy sessions her employer is offering once she gets the promotion to become a content moderator in virtual reality settings -- a job that is extremely invasive of the employee's privacy and mostly involves stopping men from (virtually) attacking femme-presenting avatars/people. So yes, they offer therapy sessions to try to undo some of the harm they're causing. Hooray?

The book examines what her Big Tech employer creates-- a playground for people to act out their fantasies (all too often their darkest fantasies which causes real psychological harm). As compared to the good that they promise - cutting-edge therapeutic applications and escapism.

It begs the question of whether the well-meaning employees in the company will ever make it worthwhile. If the cost of all the harm will ever be outweighed by the good they hope to create.

As a society, why is it that we so blithely accept all the bad - the election interference, the mental illness, the harassment, privacy violations, etc. - for the sake of having a bit of convenience or a few moments of escapism? What we need to escape is the trap they've created for us.

Other Notes:

• At one point in the VR world, she noticed there was a mosaic that did not have a "double click" option to learn more (unlike most of the rest of the scene). And she wondered, is it really so bad to have some mystery? Maybe it's okay to just wonder, imagine, and contemplate instead of having every moment filled in by some explanation.
• The author narrates the audiobook. I usually think this is a bad sign (unless it's Barbara Kingsolver), but in this case, Castillo nails it. She provides so much texture to the voices and the way her characters speak sheds more light on who they are.
• As I'm beginning to peruse Castillo's other works, I'm pretty sure there are a couple Easter eggs in here.