Well, this is chilling:
Human Contact Is Now a Luxury Good
The analysis from the New York Times makes the (compelling) case that as screens are becoming indispensable for the poor and middle-class, the wealthy are opting out.
“All of this has led to a curious new reality: Human contact is becoming a luxury good.”
Read the article. It’s good, if unnerving. And it reminds me of that time I called 1800-CONTACTS and an actual human being answered the phone without any automated menu and it impressed me so much that I’m still talking about it.
When marketing first went digital on the Internet, it was a novelty. Facebook was just a few years old, and big tech companies monetizing their ads took a little while to catch up. It was a bonanza – the world was getting smaller! Connection made easy by the Internet! Online marketing was a cinch!
Now, studies show that social media and increased screen time is correlated with depression and isolation, and we know that from our personal experience.
I know that taking a walk outside makes me feel great. Scrolling through Instagram makes me feel terrible. I know that talking on the phone makes me feel connected. Reading marketing emails makes me feel like I’m doing everything wrong and too slow and I’ll never be good enough.
The problem is… Humans are expensive, but screens are cheap (not only that, but marketing from behind your screen doesn’t challenge us the way public speaking, in-person networking, or making phone calls does). The article explains that
“Conspicuous human interaction — living without a phone for a day, quitting social networks and not answering email — has become a status symbol.”
And,
“How comfortable someone is with human engagement could become a new class marker.”
So… what?
Now you know that wealthy clients will prize human connection and high-touch services – your availability, your time, your knowledge – and pay for it.
But it’s not like wealthy people are more human than poor or middle class folks. WE ALL yearn for connection and attention and being seen and supported.
How can we offer human connection in our services to EVERYBODY, no matter their resources?
