This is going to be hard to digest, but it has to be said.
You are under the influence. I am under the influence. Most people you know are under the influence of technology. Now more than ever, we spend more time than ever checking, browsing, searching, posting, liking, reading, and even fearing the loss of our devices. This is not a coincidence or a weakness of the mind, it is inherent to the design of many technological products.
Whether in the virtual workplace or our personal lives, we’ve been sold. Sold on the belief that technology can solve all of our problems, yet the power within our global financial system has never been so concentrated on so few actors – predominately the technology giants monetising a need to keep us ‘users’ hooked. It is little wonder that we have developed a dependence.
COVID-19 only exacerbated this. We are now having to navigate uncharted waters of different epidemics while needing to quickly adapt to the societal, cultural, and digital shifts taking place. In my upcoming book, Wired Influence we narrow in on widely used software technologies that are highly addictive that have become increasingly influential over our lives – chiefly the ‘always-on technologies’ accessed through a computer or mobile device, that inform, connect, and enable us to work anywhere and everywhere. The impacts of being under the influence vary but through my story and so many others, we explore the impact of these influences on our personal and professional spheres, and offer strategies for reshaping our approach to technology so we can live more balanced, productive lives, and ultimately leave a meaningful digital legacy behind.
We need to turn back the clocks to when screens didn’t dominate so much of our time. Wired Influence helps us to think like craftspeople to decide which technological tools we need to do our finest work and become stricter and more selective about what makes the cut. To challenge the beliefs we are being ‘sold’ about technology’s fix-all solutions and observe what happens to our focus, productivity, happiness, and time. And to create rituals and remain disciplined to break away from technology, create space for periods of solitude, deep work, and opportunities to reconnect to the innate wisdom within nature, our bodies, and the human spirit.
Writing this book has been transformational to my relationship with technology. I re-discovered who I was, re-established my relationships with others, and re-committed to building the type of technology company that will positively influence the industry. I have written this book for others seeking a fundamental change from how they’ve been using – or are being used by – technologies. I aim to equip you with the strategies, tools, and exercises to discover technology’s effects on your life, audit how they are working, find innovative ways to improve them, and bring the power of influence back under your control.
Make sure to get your copy of Wired Influence. Sign up here to be notified once it’s out!