Goblin-mode sociology
Beyond the meme: An editorial exploration of "Goblin Mode" for ANZA (Australian & New Zealand Association) as a psychological rebellion against the optimised self. Discover how the uncurated life serves as a vital survival mechanism in a hyper-performed world.
Original Project: Are you living life in Goblin Mode?
Client: ANZA SINGAPORE
The objective was to deconstruct "Goblin Mode"—Oxford’s 2022 Word of the Year—moving beyond its surface-level definition of laziness. I wanted to explore it as a legitimate psychological rebellion against the "perpetual performance" of modern life, specifically within the high-pressure context of the Singapore expat community.
Behavioral Grounding: I framed the transition into "Goblin Mode" as a necessary response to social fatigue and the erosion of the private self. By legitimising the urge to withdraw, the piece provides a psychological framework for "radical rest" that goes deeper than simple self-care.
Cultural Synthesis: The essay bridges the gap between digital slang and the historical rejection of hyper-curated social standards. I positioned "Goblin Mode" not as a modern glitch, but as a contemporary manifestation of the shadow self—the part of us that resists the "polished" expectations of the community to find comfort in the raw and unobserved.
The Counter-Intuitive Flip: Traditionally, "letting oneself go" is viewed as a failure of discipline. In this piece, I flipped the narrative to present it as a suvival mechanism by arguing that "Goblin Mode" is actually an act of preservation—a way to reclaim one’s humanity by intentionally failing the "optimisation" test.
This essay serves as a study in Linguistic Reclamation. It demonstrates the studio’s ability to take "disposable" internet culture and find the underlying human truth. It highlights my capacity to write for a specific community (ANZA) while maintaining a high-level, "thought leadership" tone that elevates the publication's editorial standard.
