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Handshake
Many purveyors of goods and services claim they are “people helping people,” implying that a handshake, one’s word and mutual trust are the currency of doing business. And while that’s true in certain instances, overall, this modus operandi is an anachronism. Marketing aside, what too often transpires between businesses and their customers is far more transactional than relational.
Why? There are several factors, but primary ones involve the erosion of community, the explosion of online commerce and the growth of mega corporations. For example, consider the communication technologies we frequently use to conduct business. These gadgets and their methodologies connect us, but they don’t truly join us to one another. Despite being constantly linked and incessantly communicating, in ways that matter most, we are increasingly separated and dehumanized.
Many years ago, while living in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, my wife and I were applying to adopt our first child but lacked the funds to cover the considerable expense. So, I went to our banker, someone I knew as an acquaintance as well as a businessman. After describing how much we needed to borrow, what for and my plan for repaying it, he said, “We’ll have your check shortly.” When I asked what he needed as collateral, he laughed and said, “Nothing. I know where to find you.”
The man never doubted I’d pay my debt. Why? Because we lived in a small community where we knew each other as neighbors. I wasn’t filling out online forms and sending them to some faceless algorithm. It was, as we say, personal. Today, in many business proceedings, there is little if any personal involved. Mostly, we don’t interact so much as we transact. When we exchange goods and services, we often do so without the human touch. My interactions with Amazon, for instance, are not a felt experience. Their knowledge of me as a customer is limited to identifiers, verifications and financial data points. I am not a person to them, but a distant, faceless source of revenue. More a collection of digital blips than flesh and blood.
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Just a Number?
This “just a number” mindset makes it seem less morally objectionable to rip people off. After all, there are fewer pangs of conscience in defrauding a data set rather than a look-them-in-the-eyes human being. In contrast, my former banker would never have tried to hogtie me with a predatory mortgage (think the Great Recession) or a high interest loan. We were not prey and predator. As members of our community, my well-being meant something to him, and my commitment to him meant something to me.
Sociologists maintain that influences such as urbanization, population growth, pervasive media and interactive technologies are eroding the interpersonal alliances that support us in treating each other fairly and with respect. Research shows that social bonds break down when we exceed a limited number of connections. Genetically, we remain a tribal species requiring fellowship in order to engender trust. You won’t get that with 500 “friends” on Facebook.
Granted, despicable business practices are nothing new. But the less folks feel connected in a personal sense, the more likely they will pursue their self-interest exclusively and without ethical restraint. Today, to keep ourselves in line, we rely heavily on documents, fine print and threats of litigation. Modern existence is becoming more complicated and transactional, as opposed to simpler and relational, and these complexities undermine the personal touch. More of our time and energy becomes consumed with hoop jumping and administrivia, rather than relating, making us feel less like humans and more like functionaries. Increasingly, person-to-person is becoming thing-to-thing.
What to do? The movement to buy local and a preference for locally owned or operated enterprises remain viable alternatives. Doing business with neighbors and small mom-and-pop shops helps build community. That’s where the so-called personal touch, and the trust it requires, have a fighting chance. Swimming against the tide of faceless capitalism isn’t easy, but being swept away by it exacts a heavier toll.
For more, visit philipchard.com.
