The idea of a friend who helps you commit to your goals is growing in popularity – whether you want to get fit, write a novel or build your business
When news emerged that new US Speaker Mike Johnson and his teenage son monitored each other’s pornography intake, the concept of an “accountability partner” was probably unfamiliar to many people. Certainly, the Republican politician hasn’t done much to sell the idea. Rolling Stone magazine, revelling in the “creepy Big Brother-ness” of it all, detailed how the “faith-obsessed” politician used an app called Covenant Eyes. Deployed by churches and missionary groups, it sends out weekly reports flagging up all the potentially nefarious online content consumed by an individual and their appointed sin monitor.
“My accountability partner right now is Jack, my son. He is 17,” Johnson said in a resurfaced news clip from last year. “If anything objectionable comes up, your accountability partner gets an immediate notice.” The mind boggles. For a start, define objectionable? One person’s harmless rap video might be another’s NSFW (not safe for work) nightmare. And where does this level of micro-monitoring end? Today OnlyFans, the mostly pornographic subscriber platform, tomorrow fried chicken Deliveroos and unwise athleisure purchases?
About Author
More Stories
Bizarre Australian mole even more unusual than first thought, new research reveals
Male mosquitoes to be genetically engineered to poison females with semen in Australian research
Breakthrough drugs herald ‘new era’ in battle against dementia, experts predict