On accountability

When did the world become a place where no matter what we do, we feel no friction or failure?  A language app, an online game and an obsession with data analytics: each works differently, but the effect is the same.

I returned to Duolingo after a several month hiatus.  I had been practicing Japanese before my trip to Japan, to get my speaking muscles back in shape.

When I deleted Duolingo after my trip, I had a 1250 day streak.  I had friends I competed with, and when I logged out the last time, I expected it all to be gone.

Now we are preparing for a trip to Puerto Rico and I want to learn some basic Spanish.  Upon re-installing Duolingo, I was very surprised to see my 1250 day streak uninterrupted, and my next lesson earned me a 1251st  day streak badge.  Am I happy to keep my streak, even if it is meaningless? Like literally, without meaning a genuine “streak”. 

NYTimes has some very popular games, and one of them is called Strands.  The user is prompted to look for words that are themed for the day, hidden in the block of letters. There is a “hint” button.  After making a few errors, we are offered a “hint” and when pushed, the correct letters are revealed for the user to unscramble. Presumably, this hint prevents frustration for the player because the game designer knows too much friction is bad.  But is this too little friction?  Where is the discomfort that can challenge us, so when we achieve the goal, we can enjoy the joy of mastery?  Am I as proud of finishing the puzzle after deploying the “hint” button?

Big Data is used every day to make decisions in Corporate America.  As a digital strategist, I am asked to find data that supports every decision.  Why should the button be positioned here, not there? Which words do customers prefer?    

The “everyone gets a participation award” and “here’s a hint so you can’t fail” is a reflection of this corporate need to place accountability on something or someone else.  An obsession with data and metrics has made true human taste and judgement obsolete.

All these experiences are designed to game the attention economy.  All eyeballs are glued to the game, the app, the spreadsheet.  It is a distraction from real progress and meaning making of our lives. It’s time to start owning our decisions and be accountable for the mistakes we will inevitably make, and earn the wins and the joy of accomplishment.  Let us have meaning and agency, rather than being relegated to becoming another data point measuring attention.

July 7, 2026