1990s african-american african-american-experience african-american-literature alienation ambition american-dream american-history american-literature anxiety artificial-intelligence authenticity betrayal black-experience black-identity brotherhood career character character-building character-development civil-rights coding coming-of-age comparison compassion computer computer-industry computer-programming computer-science computers conformity conscience contemporary-fiction corporate-culture corporate-life corporate-world coupland courage cultural-criticism cultural-critique culture david-brooks determination digital-age digital-revolution discipline discrimination disillusionment dot-com-era douglas douglas-coupland empathy entrepreneurship ethical-behavior ethics existentialism faith freedom friendship friendships fulfillment geek geek-culture geeks generation-x growth growth-mindset happiness harlem harlem-renaissance honesty human-nature humanity humility humor identity identity-crisis individualism individuality inequality inner-journey inner-strength inner-transformation innovation inspirational integrity internet internet-boom introspection introspective introspective-journey invisibility invisible invisible-man isolation jazz journey kindness leadership life-lessons love materialism maturity meaning-of-life meaningful-life microserfs microsoft modernism moral moral-compass moral-development moral-philosophy moral-values morality nerd nerd-culture nerds nonfiction office-culture office-life office-politics oppression patience perseverance personal-development personal-growth personal-transformation philosophical philosophy pop-culture power power-dynamics prejudice programming protagonist psychology purpose race racism redemption reflection relationships resilience sacrifice satire seattle segregation self-awareness self-discipline self-discovery self-examination self-help self-improvement self-reflection self-worth selflessness silicon-valley social-commentary social-hierarchy social-inequality social-injustice social-isolation social-justice social-media social-status societal-norms societal-pressure societal-values society software software-development soul-searching southern-united-states spirituality start-up start-up-culture start-ups startup-culture startups status stereotypes success symbolism tech-industry technology the-road-to-character transformation underground values virtual-reality virtue virtue-ethics virtues wealth wisdom work-life-balance workplace workplace-culture workplace-dynamics