In this episode of Shame & Certainty, we begin a new series exploring what I call the Great Thinning—the quiet hollowing out of modern life.

Drawing from early experiences in ecommerce and the rise of the modern internet, this episode traces how technology shifted from serving human needs to optimizing for profit, efficiency, and extraction. We explore the idea of enshittification, surveillance capitalism, data harvesting, and the subtle ways platforms reshape desire, labor, and identity.

This isn’t a rant against technology. It’s an attempt to name the ache that remains after everything works—but nothing feels alive.

Part I focuses on technology. Future episodes will explore how this same logic shows up in work, faith, productivity, and meaning itself.