The world is so fast paced. It’s a lot different to even three years ago.  It’s as if we are living in a time of moving pictures and moving emotions. Has technology made us focus only on the short term?. Do we live on a rush of hype and emotions, thrills and chills that we often miss the long-term objective?.  It can feel like it.

The rapid increase in technological advancements, including automation and artificial intelligence, online shopping and other virtual experiences means seeing a retail assistant in a shop to provide customer service is becoming a rarity. This leads to the trust factor.  How do we evaluate? and make decisions based on all this in terms of what is genuine. We must do our research and then decide.

I do think we trust a lot less these days because of technology and this has its downside as I recently experienced. I went to a standard cosmetic procedure. My appointment was with one of the specialists who I don’t see often (two appointments out of five a year). She told me her husband had a terminal illness. He was in his late 40s. I asked her a few questions about the treatment he was receiving.  I didn’t ask a lot. I left thinking some of the answers she gave me didn’t seem quite right, well not right in my mind.  Move forward, six months later. Here I am back getting my next treatment. I get the same specialist and she informed me her husband had died. I couldn’t believe it.  I left the appointment and even looked it up on the internet for the obituary to be sure and yes, he had died. What do I take from this? Sure, do your homework. It pays too. It just made me think back to even five years ago when I would have been a lot more trusting, and this recent experience I had was even with a face-to-face conversation. I am not talking about formal reassurance/requirements where we definitely need an email or documented evidence to outline terms or back something up.

Numerous studies do show in-person conversation (with the person(s) being physically present) provides way better authenticity when compared to any online experience. In-person you do see and hear more honesty, you receive better understanding, a higher level of focus and intensity is given and there is improved empowerment and productivity which far beats the on-screen communication. Hence, why so many big businesses are calling their workers back into the office. Please share your thoughts and experiences.