There was a time—not ancient history, just pre-everything-needs-a-passwordwhen you could simply exist in public without downloading something first. I remember writing about this years ago after watching a Sesame Street skit that cheerfully predicted a world of apps for everything. It felt cute. Playful. Slightly absurd.

Well. Joke’s on us.

Now I can’t park my car without an app. I can’t read a menu without scanning a QR code like I’m entering a secret society. I can’t complete a 30-second human interaction without being asked to rate it, review it, and possibly nominate it for a customer service Emmy. Five stars for handing me a muffin? Sure. Why not. Let me just unlock my phone, remember my password, verify via text, and sacrifice a small piece of my soul first.

As a social psychologist, I keep thinking about what this does to us. Kurt Lewin told us behavior is a function of person and environment. Well, our environment now requires constant digital compliance. Every small act from parking, to ordering, to checking in comes with a technological hoop. It’s not just convenience anymore; it’s conditioning. Tap. Scan. Download. Agree. Repeat.

And somewhere along the way, it stopped feeling like freedom and started feeling like a leash.

A very polite leash, of course. One that says “for your convenience” while quietly training us to outsource even the smallest decisions and interactions. One that nudges us to document, rate, and optimize every micro-moment of our lives.

Do I sound dramatic? Maybe. But also tell me the last time you just did something without your phone playing chaperone.

I’ll wait. 🙂