The Electronic Leash
The electronic leash came to exist in 2003 when a leader in the company started a campaign to promote awareness of it and to protect against it.
When we first heard about the electronic leash, it sounded foreign. Like it could not possibly be.
The leader described the electronic leash as a state of being where you are constantly connected to your device, checking messages 24/7 and responding without boundaries.
Our minds rebelled. Wasn’t “always on” the best thing? The responsive thing? A way to get ahead?
The entire notion was almost an insult to us: the young and hard working individuals who filled the halls, cubes and conference rooms. Why was this warning even being given?
Further, finding ourselves “leashed” sounded awful… like a dog under control of a master. Who is the master?
Fast forward to 2008, and we find possibly the first mainstream media mention of a “digital leash” (here).
Was this leader ahead of their time by several years, seeing what others could not? — Absolutely.
Still, it didn’t become clear to you that it even existed until a decade later. It happened when you least expected. In the dark corners of a restaurant, gazing at the next table, you find four sitting — all fixed on their phones, not paying any attention to each other.
And then you know. The warning not heeded, we all fell into it: constantly connected to our devices and we don’t even know or care about anything different.
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