This guy in a Chiang Mai co-working space told me my setup was 'sad' because I was using a 13-inch laptop.

He said it with a straight face while pointing at his own massive, three-screen rig, and I've been weirdly self-conscious about my simple MacBook Air ever since, even though it gets all my work done just fine.

4 comments

4 Comments

danielnelson1mo agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, I just told a guy like that my tiny laptop lets me work from a beach!

markh859d ago

Wait hold up, I gotta push back a little. That big setup might be for coding or video editing, stuff that really needs the screen space. My cousin does graphic design and her giant monitors are a lifesaver for detail work. It's not always about showing off. Sometimes the tool actually fits the job, you know? Just feels like we're making a lot of guesses about someone we don't know.

janah831mo ago

Honestly it's just gear shaming. People do it with cameras, bikes, coffee makers, anything. That guy needed his big screens to feel legit, but your work is what matters. I see it all the time, someone with a basic tool doing great work while the person with the fancy setup is mostly just showing off. It's a weird flex that says more about their insecurity than your laptop.

angela_harris1mo ago

Guy probably needs all that gear just to check his email. Meanwhile you're over there making actual stuff happen from a towel. The bigger the setup, the smaller the project seems to be.