While many Americans have become accustomed to scanning their groceries while wearing headphones, this practice may be contributing to the loneliness epidemic.
“It’s somebody who makes you feel important in their world,” she said. “Somebody who makes you feel human.”
The store uses cameras and sensors to detect the products customers pick off the shelves and emails them a receipt, allowing shoppers to pay for a bagful of groceries without any human assistance.
The April PlayUSA poll found that more than 7 in 10 (71%) of the 1,001 Americans surveyed said human-run checkouts take longer, while 60% admitted they simply don’t want to engage in awkward small talk.
An unsocial 14% said they would wait in a self-service lane even if a human cashier was available.
There was a generational divide, with 84% of Gen Z and 76% of millennials preferring technology over human interaction, compared with only 57% of Gen X and 46% of baby boomers.
While a staggering 89% of people believe tech has made their daily lives easier and 62% like that technology is replacing face-to-face interactions, many admitted that dealing with so much technology has negatively affected mental health.
About 67% say technology has made it harder for people to make meaningful connections, 75% think tech-based interactions have led to a decrease in social skills, and 68% believe it’s caused less empathy.
Category: Technology
Source: NYPost Technology
