How does Modern Times criticize factory work and modern technology?

In his 1936 film Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin utilizes comedy to offer a poignant critique of the dehumanizing impact of modern technology and industrial labor.1

The film centers on a factory worker who experiences a mental breakdown while struggling to keep pace with the relentless demands of an assembly line. Through classic sight gags, Chaplin illustrates the absurdity and physical toll of modern equipment, portraying the worker as a mere extension of the machinery rather than an individual. This depiction aligns with broader sociological critiques of industrial work, where the intense division of labor can lead to alienation, rendering workers as "hands" and stripping them of their creative faculties and control over their own labor.12

By highlighting these tensions, Chaplin emphasizes the conflict between human needs and the rigid, impersonal nature of the industrial system, ultimately portraying the worker as a person at odds with the rapid, often overwhelming, advancements of his era.1