soft time
n.— «After studying the behavior of thousands of cell-phone users, James Katz, a professor of communication at Rutgers University, has concluded that the cell phone has changed the nature of the way we think of time. Researchers now speak of the US as living in “soft time.” This term has been coined to describe the thinking of a cell-phone user who calls at 8:20 to say he will be late for the 8:30 meeting, arrives at 8:45, and considers himself on time because he called ahead.» —“Soft Time” by Joshua Hullender Daily Devotional (Apison, Tenn.) Feb. 7, 2005. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
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