ShutdownTok: federal workers detail life without pay amid government’s closure

Federal employees on social media share practical tips and document lives amid longest US shutdown in history

As the US government shutdown stretches on after becoming the longest in history, influencers and content creators have stepped into improvised public-service roles by chronicling life without paychecks.

Across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, federal workers have been publishing shutdown vlogs" that mix dark humor with practical tips. The federal shutdown has created its own internet sub-genre of resource directories, budget-stretching advice threads and mental health check-ins.