Whether it’s banking, shopping or selling, the large majority of every day tasks can now be handled online with little fuss; being able to do pretty much anything on your mobile device from the comfort of your own home is an added convenience which most of us probably couldn’t now do without. The downside of this of course is that we are now spending less and less time actually talking and interacting with whoever it may be that used to provide our service. As sociable creatures, we thrive on social interaction – how often do you hear people complain about talking to an automated machine as opposed to a real person? With this in mind, a number of industries are now adapting their online services to provide face to face interactions and make users feel more comfortable and at home.
The Healthcare Industry
For the first time ever, the NHS recently released figures pertaining to waiting times and revealed that one in five patients wait two weeks to see their GP. Because of these wait times, many patients are opting to self-diagnose online or use symptom checkers. However, the comfort and reassurance of coming face to face with a doctor or nurse is lost as a result of this approach. In order to rectify this and alleviate pressure on the system, the NHS are to roll out a virtual A&E initiative in which patients can video call with doctors and nurses.
Online Casino
Popular games such as roulette, blackjack and poker were once consigned to the confines of the casino walls. In recent years, online casino has become a big hit with punters owing to the exclusive bonuses and services offered to online customers. In spite of this however the thrill of sitting across from the croupier or hearing the ball bang against the roulette wheel is a huge part of the overall casino experience. In order to combine the two, platforms now offer “live games – Aspers casino live games for example make use of HD webcams with human dealers and opponents in order to replicate the experience of being in a brick and mortar casino.
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Virtual Classrooms
The sheer amount of information available on the internet means that self teaching yourself about virtually any subject is a very real possibility. Whilst some people work better alone, others need that human touch and constant face to face interaction in order to improve their skills. Virtual classrooms in a school sense are being rolled out across the world with the aim of reducing student suspensions and implicit bias. In other areas of teaching, online music and language lessons are now more common than ever and platforms such as Skype help to maintain the human interaction which was once lost through chatbots and other similar technology.
We Are Social Creatures
Humans are people people. Of course, exceptions do exist – everyone has a grumpy relative or neighbour who closes themselves off to the world and prefers to do things on their own terms. However, for the most part, face to face interaction helps us grow as people, hones our social skills and reassures us that we aren’t alone in this ever changing, scary, technological jungle we now live in.
