Let me ask you something.
When was the last time your refrigerator asked you to rate it?
Your kettle? Your bicycle? The door that quietly does its job every single day without demanding gratitude?
Never.
And yet – every few days – the most expensive, “smartest” device you own looks you in the eye and says:
“How would you rate this experience? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★”
Not a bug. A feature. Designed by someone. Approved by someone. Shipped to millions of people who just wanted to make a call.
Here’s what happened.
Somewhere along the way, communication devices stopped communicating. They started collecting. Every tap, every hesitation, every frustrated swipe became data. Not to make the experience better for you – but to understand how to keep you trapped a little longer. To sell you something. To justify a valuation. To fuel an IPO.
We thought we were buying a tool.
We were becoming the product.
And the proof is in the loop: you open an app to do one thing. Before you can do it, you’re asked to update. Then to log in. Then to verify your identity. Then to accept new terms. Then to rate the experience you haven’t even had yet. Then to share it. Then to allow notifications. Then to upgrade to premium.
By the time you actually make the call, send the message, check the bank balance – you’re exhausted.
That’s not communication. That’s a hostage negotiation.
Someone I know – a person who built a life on clarity, on precision, on quiet discipline – once put it simply: “I don’t want to rate my call. I want to make the call. I don’t want to update my operating system. I don’t want to navigate a maze of menus. I want the damn thing just to work.”
That’s not old-fashioned.
That’s the baseline we abandoned.
End of Episode 3
–
Author: Modis Chrisha, artist, music producer and writer, exploring the intersection of technology, human potential, and society.
“The Keep Going Project” book series, 20 published books that hold 200 motivational and inspirational quotes, available worldwide.
Leave a Reply