9/9/2023 0 Comments Work slack into fullonface in Slack to try to get his attention Vogt inserts the Alex face to signify “bad news.” Slate favors a custom emoji of Outward editor Bryan Lowder with a toboggan Photoshopped onto his head when editors drop into a private group to workshop headlines, they announce their presence with a taco emoji. Vogt and Alex Goldman, co-hosts of the Gimlet Media podcast Reply All, have created little emoji of each other’s faces that they use to further develop their lovingly antagonistic office relationship: Goldman drops a P.J. Deadspin taunts staff writer Greg Howard with a mock rap CD cover featuring his face and dubbed “Hollywood Howard.” P.J. CollegeHumor treasures an emoji of a gluten-free duck Briganti says its meaning is unexplainable to outsiders. The chat system makes it easy for users to create their own inside jokes. Slack’s mission is to “make your working life simpler, more pleasant and more productive.” It seems best-suited for the second goal on that list. So if at least one of the major styles of Slack use is the semi-public role-playing of work, it makes sense that it would be used to create, and then to project, exclusivity: Email is extremely effective for people who LARP through their jobs. Slack allows, in the most extreme cases, for a full performance of work - the clocking in, the ambient noise, the watercooler discussions, the instant availability and accordant impression of responsiveness - without the accomplishment anything external. There are many millions of privileged people for whom sending and responding to emails creates the impression of productivity, thereby justifying, in part or sometimes even in whole, their jobs. The first way that Slack is truly replacing email is through its creation of a novel form of work-like non-work. Anyone who suggests otherwise is either rationalizing or delusional. Working in an active Slack (or Campfire for that matter!) is a productivity nightmare, especially if you don’t hate your coworkers. Slack is where people make jokes and register their presence it is where stories and editing and administrating are discussed as much for self-justification as for the completion of actual goals. This does not seem to be the case in online media, which is most effusive in its praise for the service. There may be offices, and types of jobs, for which sitting in a chatroom all day makes everyone more productive. It is the process of Slackulatory capture. It’s a weird and distinct feeling, and one that often coincides with Slack apologetics. Eventually - and this is when you finally begin to understand why, in the big fun-free casino of venture capital, the Slack table is so crowded - it starts to replace email. But the thing about Slack that gives you that low dread of unstoppable acceleration is how fully it encompasses how you talk to coworkers: first it replaces a group work chat, then it gradually replaces your Gchats and the last remaining AIM conversations. The industry narrative doesn’t quite cover it! Sure, a lot of companies are signing up and closing their Campfire chats, their Hipchats and their IRCs. Slack, maker of extremely expensive professional chatrooms, is annexing online work culture at a stunning rate.
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