The Other Side

I do not discount the fact that the internet has helped many businesses streamline their operations, reduce costs and minimize losses, and even expand. In fact, I have availed of several services which many businesses have offered using the internet. I shop on eBay and Amazon. I pre-order medicine and pick it up. I order gifts online and have them delivered anwhere I want to. I transact with HSBC through internet banking. I even had a dress custom-made by just answering questions from the site and then inputting my measurements.

But like any ordinary coin, it has two sides. I can think of two situations on the other side. I am sure there are more, but for now, I limit them to these.

One. It reduced face-to-face, touch and see per Tito Romy, personal interaction to a minimum.

My mom put up a grocery store more than a decade ago, and I was there most weekends when I was in elementary. I loved tending shop, fixing groceries on shelves while making a mental note of goodies I’d pick at the end of the day as my ‘pay’. I was always excited to see people I knew or were frequent customers, and I made conversation with new ones to make them feel welcome. I liked watching people as they exchanged pleasantries when they ran into each other, and I wondered at what extent people could go just to avoid each other. Kids had fun there, too, especially on the candy aisle when I convinced my mom to let me give ‘samples’ so they can have one small bite of sweetness even if their mom didn’t give in to their whimpering to buy them that box of candy.

Now, people can get their groceries without even leaving their houses. People can do a lot of things even without leaving their seats. No human interaction, no talk, no warm smiles, no thank yous that you’re actually sure come from the heart. Just plain business. So much for that personal touch, as my mother used to call it. And they said people are fundamentally social beings.

Two. It cost others their bread and butter.

My uncle ran a furniture shop which he co-owned with a friend. As business was good then, they decided to expand, so they hired extra people to go around parts of the country and advertise, get orders, and manage the market. These people came back to the head office once a month to place orders and give status reports.

But then the internet came. My uncle put up a website where they advertised their products. There was a link where interested buyers could place their orders. Someone from the shop would call that customer to confirm the order, and then advise on delivery and payment options. There was suddenly no more need for Golda and the Thirteen Bears, as my cousin used to call them.