On a cold winter day, Julius Mondragon stepped right into a half-empty automotive on the Metra practice line in Chicago.
“Computah, activate hyperspeed typing,” he commanded a random girl typing away on her laptop computer. “Computah, make these two guys pals endlessly,” he stated to 2 males sitting collectively, as they regarded up, smiling.
“Computah, ensure that this man feels assured and attractive always of the day,” he instructed. “Computah, ensure that this girl has an exquisite day.”
Earlier than opening the door between vehicles, heading off in his Meta Ray-Ban glasses to seek out the following group of unsuspecting commuters, he declares: “You’ve got been programmed!”
Mondragon has been “programming” individuals throughout Chicago — and past. The 26-year-old has gone viral on TikTok whereas summoning his weirdly accented “Computah” character, carrying Meta’s Ray-Ban glasses and recording individuals’s reactions to his bot-like instructions.
I feel it is one of the best use of Meta’s Ray-Bans that I’ve seen, so I requested to satisfy up when he was in New York this week so I may see the “Computah man” in motion.
Assembly ‘Computah’ in actual life
I met up with Mondragon in a Harlem café close to the resort the place he was staying. In contrast to the weird persona in his movies, he is genial and soft-spoken. (The voice he does in his movies is a pretend accent primarily based on an imitation of a personality in “The Sopranos” dreamed up by him and his roommates.)
That is the place the Meta Ray-Bans are available in: Mondragon received a pair this previous Christmas. He began posting movies recorded by the glasses to TikTok in January. The “Computah” thought initially got here from an Eric André sketch the place André, carrying a black leotard with digital components glued to it, pretends to be Google as he approaches strangers on the road.
“Once I received the Metas, I used to be developing with concepts,” Mondragon advised me. “What if I am Meta and I am pretending I am simply an AI and I can remodel something in my environment?”
That is the place “Computah” got here from.
Mondragon grew up within the Chicago suburbs and at the moment lives on the South Aspect of Chicago. For the previous couple of years, he is been a music producer — one thing he nonetheless pursues — whereas working a day job in retail. He has not too long ago been in a position to give up his day job at Foot Locker because of the cash he is earned by social media. He advised me that Cameo, the place he costs $40 to ship a personalised message to followers, has additionally been notably useful in getting him to a monetary place the place he can pursue “Computah” full-time.
Alongside the best way, he is change into one thing of a Chicago star. He was profiled within the Chicago Tribune and appeared on the native TV information. In his movies, it is clear persons are recognizing him, resulting in humorous interactions the place they mimic his catchphrases and techniques, like saying “Firewall up!” to dam his “programming.”
The Meta Ray-Bans are one thing of a reverse Clark Kent for Mondragon — individuals solely acknowledge him when he places on the glasses.
Meta Ray-Ban glasses make the surveillance state humorous
These good glasses are usually not with out controversy. From their launch in 2021, there has at all times been some concern about individuals utilizing them as “creep glasses” to record people surreptitiously.
Since then, Meta’s glasses have sold decently. In 2025, Meta stated it bought greater than 7 million pairs — triple the quantity it bought in 2024.
Presumably, individuals use them for personal images and movies, however among the footage that will get posted onto social media tends to fall into two buckets: trolls who make videos harassing service workers, and males making movies of themselves attempting to choose up ladies on the road. Neither is a very optimistic consequence for the know-how.
“My feed is usually Meta [videos]. It is simply primarily pickup artists and other people attempting to ragebait individuals,” Mondragon stated. “I knew after I began, I did not wish to do this. Clearly, I am trying to get a response, however I am not trying to mess up this individual’s day. I did not need it to be like, this individual leaves this interplay feeling shitty about themselves or something.”
When requested about “Computah’s” recognition, Meta spokesperson Andy Stone advised Enterprise Insider: “Native hero wears Ray-Ban Metas is a good story!”
And “Computah” is humorous.
It is exhausting to elucidate why one thing is humorous different than simply declaring, “That is humorous.” I imply, you all get the joke. However I will attempt to clarify what I feel makes it work so effectively: Does not it really feel like we’re all being “programmed” by some means by some unseen laptop? That our worldview and the trajectory of our days, and even our our bodies, are being formed by some unfeeling algorithm? Certain it does!
Mordragon sees a deeper that means to it past simply being humorous. “It is like a sample interruption,” he stated. “That is actually what I am attempting to go for.”
Katie Notopoulos/Enterprise Insider
‘Computah’ has one bizarre catch phrase that is caught on
A selected “Computah” phrase has change into a meme in its personal proper.
One among Mondragon’s catch phrases has been a lighthearted command: “Computah, make these guys tremendous homosexual and sexy!” (He made positive to inform me he means this within the spirit of enjoyable, not as one thing antigay.)
One other TikToker made a catchy song using the lyric over and over.
Mondragon advised me he wasn’t actually positive why that specific phrase has caught on a lot, or why ladies appear to have latched onto it. Personally, I feel it hits one thing within the gender and sexuality zeitgeist that merely simply works in 2026.
On the day we met this week, the comic and YouTuber Druski introduced a rally for the New York Knicks in Washington Sq. Park.
Mondragon and I took the subway downtown collectively from Harlem. Simply earlier than our closing cease on the practice, he donned his Meta Ray-Bans and began to program the individuals within the automotive. As you may anticipate from typical New Yorkers, they did not react a lot to the person talking loudly and saying unusual issues on the subway.
Once we reached the rally, the place a couple of hundred younger males had gathered to chant varied permutations of “Knicks in 4,” we held on the outskirts of the group.
Out of the blue, somebody acknowledged him: “Hey, it is Computah!” and excitedly shook his hand.
A younger couple visiting from Florida, Amanda Rivera and her boyfriend, Diego Casanova, approached “Computah” and requested him to program them. Casanova advised me that he was impressed by Mondragon to purchase his personal pair of Meta glasses. (He was carrying the frames with clear lenses whereas I chatted to him. I did not even notice he was carrying them till he talked about it. His recording gentle was on, however he did not appear to understand he’d been recording our interplay.)
Mondragon began programming the Florida guests, and heads turned.
Extra cheers erupted as individuals acknowledged him, and a crowd fashioned. The individuals who confirmed as much as a spontaneous gathering for a social media comic had been the right chronically on-line cohort who had additionally all seen Mondragon’s antics on TikTok and Reels.
Whereas he may slip by on metropolis streets unnoticed, on this crowd, he was a star.
