The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were a pivotal moment. Writers and actors who produce the we love went on strike against the very studios that profit from it. A massive amount of picket-line content went viral—speeches by Fran Drescher, memes about "residuals." For a moment, the fiction of Succession collided with the reality of the labor movement. The audience realized: the people making the shows about exploitation are being exploited.
She doubted the network would keep it. But she wrote it anyway.
In the late 20th century, popular media sold a fantasy. Wall Street (1987) made greed look sexy. Working Girl (1988) suggested that a great idea and a makeover were all you needed to break the glass ceiling. Work was aspirational. Even in sitcoms like Cheers , the bar was the workplace, but the "work" was just the backdrop for hanging out. sexart230809minivamporangeandbluexxx1 work
Let’s break down the landscape of popular media through the lens of labor.
Severance (Apple TV+), Office Space (Film) The Message: Work is a prison you voluntarily enter. Severance is arguably the most terrifying work entertainment content ever produced. It literalizes the modern corporate demand for "work-life balance" by surgically splitting memories. The show’s aesthetics—white hallways, sterile desks, meaningless perks (waffle parties)—mirror the tech industry’s performative culture. It suggests that the worst hell isn't a coal mine; it's a never-ending spreadsheet that you can never leave, even for a second. The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were a pivotal moment
Social media has turned the mundane realities of office life into viral gold. From comedic TikToks about "corporate jargon" to LinkedIn thought pieces on burnout, we are consuming more content
Today, the portrayal of work is more fragmented. We see the intense pressure of high-stakes industries ( Suits , Industry ), the comedic mundanity of office life ( The Office ), and the blending of personal life with labor ( Severance ). 2. Key Themes in Popular Work Media The audience realized: the people making the shows
When a specific television series, movie release, or internet phenomenon captures public attention, it immediately enters corporate communication channels like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Discord. Discussion threads dedicated to pop culture allow employees to build relationships based on shared personal interests rather than strict project workflows. This peer-to-peer connection is vital for maintaining employee engagement and reducing isolation in virtual environments. Memes as Workplace Coping Mechanisms
Streaming platforms are flooded with documentaries and dramas focusing on the meteoric rise and fall of tech founders (e.g., WeCrashed , The Dropout ). This reflects a fascination with, and criticism of, the "move fast and break things" mentality of modern entrepreneurship. D. The Reality of Remote Work