I jumped onto a Teams meeting earlier today only to find my boxed profile virtually shoulder-to-shoulder with two colleagues who were…also in the office with me.
We shook our heads sadly at the presumption and then agreed to meet out in the real world.
In that moment, an alternate term occurred to me, though thankfully (for my professional standing) I bit my tongue.
Meatspace.
Isn’t it awful?
Ther term—if you’re not familiar—refers to the physical, as opposed to virtual, world. The origins are unclear, though the sardonic tone is hard to miss. (Clearly a product of Gen X disillusion?)
More and more, my work life happens within a handful of glowing rectangles. It’s easy to forget that not every little bit of work has to happen in that dimensioned space.
Occasionally, one might meet up in the, ahem, meatspace instead.
Taylor Coe 