About Westenberg

Westenberg is a publication for people who question the systems around us—whether they’re built from code, culture, or political ideology. It’s a space where technology, philosophy, politics, and productivity all come together, tangled and messy. Mostly because that’s how they are in real life.

The point of Westenberg is to look at the beliefs, biases, and protocols that shape how we think, work, govern, and create meaning. From the tech we depend on, to the systems of power we tolerate, to the productivity cults we fall for, I take an analytical look at what’s really driving our lives forward. And sometimes off the rails.

Think of it as a loose guide to the human operating system, that doesn’t shy away from bugs, glitches, and the politics embedded in our most “neutral” tools.

Who Am I?

I’m JA Westenberg, the voice behind Westenberg. I’m a writer, technologist, and perpetual skeptic, always prying at the edges of systems to see what’s holding them together (or what’s about to break). I’ve spent my life working in and writing about tech, politics, and philosophy, trying to piece together the bigger picture of how we shape the world—and how it shapes us in return.

What Can You Expect?

The articles here range from deep dives into the politics of technology, to critiques of productivity culture, to explorations of what it means to live a life of purpose in a world full of distractions and dubious incentives. Here are a few recurring themes:

1. Tech and Power: Who benefits from the systems we build, and who gets left behind?

2. The Philosophy of Productivity: Why “efficiency” often leads us further from meaning, not closer.

3. Digital Politics: How our tech tools shape political power and ideology, sometimes in ways we don’t even notice.

4. Life in the Attention Economy: Strategies for living well in a world that profits from our distractions.

5. The Human OS: What it means to be both user and product in the age of data.

Each piece is an invitation to look at the world a little more skeptically, to question the assumptions behind the “inevitable” march of progress, and to remember that nothing about our systems—whether technological, political, or cultural—is inevitable at all.

Where to Start

If you’re new here, you might want to start with some of my most-read pieces:

The Art of Not Sharing
It’s a typical Monday morning. You wake up, reach for your phone, and within seconds, you’re scrolling through an endless stream of updates. Your college roommate has a new puppy. Your aunt’s dog just died. Your coworker made homemade sourdough bread. Your second cousin just broke up
WestenbergJoan Westenberg
The Death of Critical Thinking Will Kill Us Long Before AI.
We have witnessed a multi-generational decline in reading comprehension. We read less, retain less of what we read, and struggle to engage in critical analysis. And if this trend continues, we risk undermining the very foundations of our society. In the bite-sized content and viral media age, too many of
WestenbergJoan Westenberg
I Miss the Internet
I know this is going to make me sound old – but I miss the internet. The real internet. The one we used to have. Before it all got so much less – and somehow so much more – complicated. I went online for the first time around 2001. The 90s had ended,
WestenbergJoan Westenberg
Fuck the Cult of Productivity
My alarm jolted me awake at 5 am. Like every morning. I rubbed my eyes, already feeling the weight of the day pressing down on me. I had a meeting at 7:30, a project deadline at noon, and a seemingly endless stream of meetings that could have been emails
WestenbergJoan Westenberg
Just Show Up.
You can control exactly one thing: that you show up. Every day. That’s about it. Showing up isn’t a silver bullet. It’s not an easy win. It’s not a lifehack. It’s not a shortcut. But it’s the only way to build anything. The truth
WestenbergJoan Westenberg

Why Subscribe?

Westenberg is free to read, and I intend to keep it that way. But a paid subscription lets you go deeper with access to subscriber-only essays, early drafts, Q&As, and other extras that let me keep digging into the things that matter. Subscribing means supporting independent, critical writing in an era of surface-level hot takes and algorithm-friendly content farms.

If you’re interested in the human side of tech, the philosophical side of productivity, and the political side of everything—Westenberg might just be your new home.