Cam Jones

Psychologist Mark Travers calls the exhaustion that sets in when your work consistently diverges from your values “misalignment burnout.” He writes that when our behavior is driven by external rewards — money, status, other people’s expectations — rather than internal alignment, we gradually lose our sense of self. That dissonance builds into... See more

We’ve never had more freedom, more choices. But in reality, most people are subtly funneled into the same streams, the same pools of ‘socially approved’ culture, cuisine and ideas. Remixes and memes abound, but almost no one shares anything weird, original or different. People wake up, perhaps with ambitions to make unique choices they believe are... See more

Anyway, I sent him Bill Clinton above. Yes, Bill’s being self-serving. He did rather a lot of that. Still does. But what he says is also devastatingly right. The media sits at the centre of discussion — between protagonists of different positions.

I wrote a whole article on this and how fundamental it is for those institutions that convene spaces... See more

Back in May, Ted Gioia wrote about the wave of cor­po­ra­tions and celebrities joining Sub­stack. Long­time internet readers will note the clear echo of 2000s blog tri­umphalism and/or 2010s Twitter energy, which is to say: enjoy it while it lasts.

I think it’s a notable that Ted’s post, though it’s titled Sub­stack Has Changed in the Last 30 Days,... See more

I want this to change. I want to move back toward a society where the hard work of an unskilled laborer is considered worthwhile in social interactions, regardless of how many dollars it brings home. I want to move back toward a society where being a good parent or a friendly neighbor earns as much respect as making a hundred million dollars on

... See more

The 4 qualities of a great career:

1. I enjoy it


2. I’m good at it


3. I make good money


4. I’m around fascinating people

Answer in reverse order:

1. Where are fascinating people?


2. In what ways can I make money with them?


3. Which ones am I good at?


4. Which ones do I enjoy?

What risk are we radically underestimating as a species? What are we overestimating?

I think we’ve still underestimated the harms of scrolling. I am careful to say “scrolling” because I don’t think social media is itself a bad thing, nor do I think screens are uniformly bad. I think it’s specifically the act of scrolling, which forces us to ingest,... See more