Brazilians turn to ‘digital coworking’ to fight pandemic isolation

Over a year since the beginning of the pandemic, Zoom fatigue is widespread. While working from home has provided significant advantages for some, packed schedules of meetings in front of a computer screen — with little to no social reward — have become more of a burden than an innovative way of working. However, there is a segment of remote workers who are embracing the ubiquity of video conferencing tools, using them around the clock in a bid to boost productivity. 

Attempting to create a fully online office equivalent, members of these so-called “digital coworking spaces” simply leave their cameras switched on from 9 to 5, communicating sporadically with their coworkers or just getting on with their tasks.

Far from being a Big Brother of the pandemic age, these digital coworking spaces have their own rules, seeking to improve alignment between colleagues and increase collaboration. 

The gamification of labor

Popular streaming platform Twitch is traditionally used by gamers, broadcasting playalongs or online coop matches to an avid audience. Now, the variety of streams available on Twitch is enormous, and it is the place of refuge for many of these digital coworking spaces. Alongside teenagers playing Fortnite or Counter-Strike, you can also watch along as streamers complete much more prosaic tasks, such as writing Ph.D. theses.

Among these productivity streamers is Miriam Castro, a 26-year-old journalist and content creator from São Paulo. Known by her online handle Mikannn, she began using Twitch to play games, but expanded to other streams during the pandemic, broadcasting her everyday work routine.

“At first, I was thinking about how I could integrate my streams into my daily life. Meanwhile, I also had difficulty focusing and found it was a way to...