Why the Future of Work Is at Home
Even a cursory look at the social, environmental, and economic impacts of working from home indicates that even more people could and should be.
Alana Massey
Alana Massey writes about culture, technology, identity, and relationships in both personal and reported work. Her stories have appeared on NPR, the Guardian, Matter, the New Republic, the Washington Post, the Atlantic, and more. Her essay collection, All the Lives I Want, is forthcoming from Grand Central Publishing.
The Lame, Classist Argument Against Raising the Minimum Wage
This insistence that laboring people would be harmed by having the wages they demand is not just incorrect, it is paternalistic and condescending.
Why Is Scaring People So Much Fun?
There's ample research on fear, but not much on why people enjoy inducing it. It could be power, group-bonding, or "everyday sadism."
It’s OK to Hate Being Single
High-achieving women are told to be proud of what they’ve accomplished. But professional triumphs don’t fill emotional holes.
Should Humans Really Go to Mars?
We must consider the possibility that going to Mars is just as much an act of grief in denial as an act of triumph in achievement.
The Baby Boomer Babysitter’s Club
If Boomers shift from executive jobs to caregiving, will Millennials get their baby boom?
'Vanity Fair' Doesn’t Understand What's Going on With Dating or Tinder
Economic forces, rather than technological ones, are changing the way young people pursue relationships.
Men Need Friends
Male friendships often center on groups and activities. But without strong one-on-one ties, men are more likely to feel isolated when romantic partnerships fail or don't happen at all.
How Men’s Emotions Are Preventing Gender Equality at Work
Even men ostensibly committed to gender equality in the workplace often feel threatened by female bosses and act accordingly, according to the latest research.
Don't Dismiss the Teens
The adults so fond of dismissing difficult teens might miss the irony that this is a distrusting and non-collaborative approach to their development.
When the Press Puts Private Decisions About Pregnancy and Parenting Up for Public Debate, Women Lose
Reporters should go easy on the sanctimony and fear mongering as they frame articles on pregnancy and childrearing.
Why Most Men Think They're Over-Working as Parents When, Quantitatively, This Isn't True
Men constantly over-estimate their performance in the areas of household work and childcare (and just about everything else too) because society congratulates them for doing these things at all.
When Online Friendships Are More Honest Than Offline Ones
When we are suffering, sometimes the best friends and the most confessional discussions can be found online.
Sex Workers Don't Owe You Any Answers
It is not the job of sex workers to do pro bono work un-paralyzing society’s hang-ups about sex, commerce, and the space where the two meet.
We Should Use Brands, Not Love Them
Your faceless microwave food corporation doesn't love you back.
Your Imaginary Relationship With a Celebrity
In a highly connected era where fans can easily and directly interact with famous people online, long-standing parasocial relationships have intensified and become increasingly complex to navigate.
Transforming White People Is Not the Job of Minority Students
It is time for universities to acknowledge their students of color as more than potential learning tools and diversity statistics for white students and brochures to brag about.
Porn Is Not Coming for Our Sex Lives
Recent research suggests that porn is hardly the life-ruining, woman-hating, healthy-sex-murdering specter we’ve been warned about for so long.
When We Can't Turn Away From Death Online
Alana Massey explores her own long-running relationship with the grotesque.
The 30,000-Word Job Application
Over the last year, Alana Massey has applied to more than 700 jobs. She reports on all the free words she's created in the process.