“We are the unpaid IT directors of our own personal infrastructure. We manage updates, we manage subscriptions, we manage batteries, we manage notifications. We manage the technical debt of our own lives.”

Terry Godier’s reflection on our changing relationship with objects hits a nerve. He uses the classic Casio F-91W as a symbol of the “finished” object—something you buy once, wear for years, and never have to think about again. In contrast, almost every modern gadget we bring home today is a demanding “relationship” that requires constant attention.

The idea that we’ve all become accidental IT managers for the things we own is something we rarely consider when we’re clicking ‘Buy Now.’ We look at the features, but we ignore the invisible job description that comes in the box. We’ve traded the simplicity of ownership for the cognitive cost of keeping our devices “alive”.