Meritocracy myth rebrands the American Dream as anyone-can-start-an-internet-company aspiration.
Evidence
The myth of meritocracy holds that anyone can come from anywhere and achieve great success in Silicon Valley if they are skilled. An anonymous technology executive said, “It’s like the new version of the American Dream. It used to be get a good job, kind of just have a stable life but the good jobs aren’t even that good anymore … there’s this feeling that anyone can do it. Anyone can come to America and have a good life or whatever and starting an internet company, it feels like anyone can do it and there’s some truth to it. It aligns with American values.” — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 663
Categorization
- SEED: Angle: how the internet startup displaced the stable job as the symbolic core of the American Dream, and what instability in the labor market powered that shift.
- XREF: connects to: The entrepreneur myth persists because it reinforces core American values — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 682; The meritocracy myth masks structural inequality and justifies tech wealth — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity,…, 673; Meritocracy is a fairy tale masking class as individual choice — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 222 (+1 more)
Broader Connections
- The meritocracy myth masks structural inequality and justifies tech wealth
#expands(0.90) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 673 - Web 2.0 repackaged American mythologies like rags-to-riches entrepreneurship into startup culture
#expands(0.85) — Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, 22 - Meritocracy is a fairy tale masking class as individual choice
#corroborates(0.80) — Clara E. Mattei, Escape from Capitalism, 222