The Uberization of The Human Experience
Natasha Mulenga
The Everything Subscription: What Happens When Human Experience is Uberized?
The Informed Citizen | Technology & Society
THE CHALLENGE
A tech-sociology publication required a deep systemic analysis that moved beyond standard critiques of screen time. They wanted an exploration of how the subscription model, having conquered software and goods, is now reshaping fundamental human domains like faith, therapy, and community.
MY APPROACH
I constructed an investigative narrative tracing the model's evolution from 17th-century newspapers to modern software. I introduced the concept of "The Uberized Soul," using the logical progression of the subscription model to argue that its application to human experience risks commodifying our deepest needs for meaning, healing, and belonging.
THE RESULT
The article provided readers with a coherent historical framework and critical vocabulary to audit their own engagement with digital services. It delivered the deep, societal commentary the publication sought, prompting introspection about the hidden costs of convenience.
The article Preview:
"A Hybrid Awakening, however, is possible. This is a future where we use these tools with conscious intent, reclaiming their original promise of access rather than replacement. Here, an app is a bridge—it helps you find a local therapist or a nearby interest group, and then you graduate to the in-person, deeper version. The digital tool serves the analogue life; it does not seek to supplant it. It requires us to set deliberate boundaries for technology’s role in our humanity.
There’s an old saying that too much of a good thing becomes bad. The Uberization model, when applied to the core realms of faith, therapy, and community, carries this exact hidden cost: the risk of thinning out the very relationships that make us human, that require presence, patience, and shared vulnerability."
Read the full article here.
If you would like to work together, reach out right here on Contra or find me through my email: mnatashabwalya@gmail.com. If you would like to read more from me, find me on Substack or Medium or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Like this project
Posted Dec 24, 2025
Explored the impact of subscription models on human experiences for a tech-sociology publication.
