OPINION: Slaves to modernity

Why is it, that for life to be made easier, it has to be so complicated? Somewhat of a contradiction, but I reckon it is a true summation of how some things are these days. For instance, recently, I realised my gas was running low, so it was time to order some gas bottles. Now, usually, I just ring the number on my fridge, and a lovely lady answers at the other end. We have a bit of a chat, sometimes a bit of a laugh — small talk, I order my gas bottle and all is sweet — however, this time I was a little disappointed by the reception. When I rang, the first thing I heard was an automated voice asking me what I was calling for and to select the designated number. So, I did, and then another automated voice asked me to enter my account number on the keypad. Not prepared for such a reception, I was a little overwhelmed and hung up. Why can’t we talk to real people anymore? Previously, in this column, I have spoken about how I would have been better living through the 1960s. Yes, I know, in some respects, the 60s was a trying period in history, but in many ways life seemed simpler. Everyone seemed to have a job, and human beings, not robots or computers, were largely responsible for our daily activities. If you wanted to post a letter, you went to the post office, if you needed cash, you would go to the bank, and if you rang a business or a service, a human being was there to assist you on the other end of the phone. I’m not saying that I don’t think there are a lot of positives around technological change, but sometimes I think our world is being corrupted by change for change’s sake. I like the phrase: the tail wagging the dog. To me, it says so much about the effect technology is currently having on our world. For some reason people (organisations, businesses and institutions) are tending to get caught up in the actual technology, and don’t focus on why they are actually using it. I believe, technology is there to enhance our lives — make things easier but, at present, trying to deal with it, is often making life harder. There is case after case of situations where there has been a change in a company’s or institution’s system of operation that, it creates more problems than there were with the system it replaced. And here’s another phrase I like: Don’t fix something if it isn’t broken. We are all, indeed, slaves to modernity ... Peter Fiorenza is the host of Fiorenza on Sunday, 10am to noon on Radio MAMA.