The year of the creep

It’s only January, but I’m ready to declare my 2025 word of the year. Creep. It’s everywhere (though true to form you may not immediately spot it). The online world is no longer merely parallel. It intersects, subsumes and fuels our real world. Siri, Alexa et al lurk.

The internet, email and, above all, apps skulk silently but persistently, stealing away our ‘free’ time. We are never off duty. Social media has crept in as our number one and sometimes only friend (though of course the parasocial relationships delude us into thinking we have many more). AI is stealthily permeating every aspect of our lives, often with huge benefits, but the imperceptibility of its advance is unnerving. Few of us really know what it is, how it works, who’s behind it, but we are all aware it’s there.