Humans Need Humans to Feel Human
The future will (thankfully) be a lot less virtual than you think.
My laptop fills up every day with articles about yet another digital solution for business. Virtual everything has become the darling of consultancies and technologists during this worldwide pandemic, and predictions abound about how this virus is expediting the digital revolution. It’s true, in some cases. But that’s only one part of the story.
My conversations with friends, family, and coworkers reveal that we all desperately want something real — theater, restaurants, museums, a hug. All the hugs.
While it is undeniable that COVID-19 has become the interloper CTO in the suites of many corporate boardrooms, the unfortunate reality is that most digital solutions are wholly unsatisfying. Webcam aquariums are not sweeping immersive expanses, Instagram dance clubs are not thumping and pheromone-filled, and Google Classroom is exposing rampant internet access inequality for students nationwide. And Zoom. So. much. Zoom. We’re all finding ourselves in a slapdash high school theater production of Ready Player One, and we don’t like it. Humans are an inherently social species.
We need smell, we need touch. We need people. We need real. In the NY Times, Emily Flake recounts her 7-year-old daughter bursting into tears: “Please, Mama…I need to go to school. I need to. School is what makes me, ME.”
The plain truth is that humans need humans to feel human. Technology amid this pandemic is not a panacea — it’s triage.
Gen Z — the so-called “digital natives” — aren’t faring much better. That’s because there’s no such thing as a digital native. Gen Z is digitally fluent, meaning that it’s so embedded in their lives that they’re blissfully unaware of its ubiquity. Shelly Turkle in Alone Together described it as “a phantom limb, it is so much a part of them. These young people are among the first to grow up with an expectation of continuous connection: always on, and always on them. And they are among the first to grow up not necessarily thinking of simulation as second best.” But the pandemic is wearing on them as well. Brenda Kim of Valencia High School lamented, “My days have blurred into Google Classroom assignments, hobby seeking, aimless searching on Netflix, and on exceptionally boring days, existential contemplation.” Julianna Lopez, 23, a recent graduate of Syracuse agrees. “I’ve been calling it ‘digital fatigue’. It’s just so much screen.”
We didn’t enthusiastically vote virtual solutions into office, but they have become the only option we have right now, and they will remain practical for the near future — though it’s not who we ultimately are. Phillip Tiongson, the founder and CEO of digital interaction agency Potion observed, “Our world has gone from infinitely small to big again. A few weeks ago you wouldn’t think anything of hopping on a plane for two hours. Now, even driving anywhere that might require a restroom is way too far. We are craving physical experiences because that’s how we evolved. We only turned to digital options because right now going out can kill you — and we evolved to avoid that as well.”
Used correctly, technology is a powerful tool that can amplify the best of humanity: community, intelligence, and even empathy. Tim Kobe, the founder of Eight Inc, puts it far more eloquently: “The true value of technology is the human outcome it produces.”
I’m no Luddite. Technology and data (and the emerging solutions made possible by the synergy between the two) unlock human progress in ways in which we’ve only begun to scratch the surface. But being fueled by digital and an experience “feeling” digital are two radically different paradigms. As a species, we’ll gravitate towards real connection every time.
Just ask Warby Parker, Wayfair, Tesla, Bonobos, ThirdLove, and the legion of online-only brands that opened physical stores to meet the needs of their customers. (Brick-and-mortar also boosts their online business.) The question becomes, “What does physical look like in a post-COVID-19 world?”
It will undoubtedly be an unfamiliar world, but there are three core opportunities for physical experiences: satellite spaces, appointments, and what I’m calling “Access Auctions.” Underpinning all of these experiences will be innovative customer service. They will be empowered by digital, but they won’t be ruled by it.
Satellite Spaces
The need for satellite locations has never been more relevant. Between managing crowd control and accepting that the world will not be traveling as aggressively as it has in the past, businesses and institutions will need to bring their show on the road. These satellites need not be tethered to traditional real estate. Inflatables, tents, trucks, and temporary structures provide an opportunity for brands to still communicate their personalities in unfamiliar settings: prepare for the Golden Age of pop-ups. And if brands are wise, they’ll offer roaming stores, locatable via social media. Steel and wheels may prove to be more practical than bricks and mortar in the coming months. For start-ups hungry to gain traction, these temporary selling spaces will level the playing field with established brands.
Appointments
Doctors’ offices have already implemented strict access protocols, with buffering times between patients to ensure that no one encounters one another in the waiting room. Brands and institutions should consider adopting similar methods of catering to guests in the near future. Adapting Click & Collect offerings to a Click & Try paradigm will enable more efficient in-store interactions, and help staff learn about their clients. Expect to see brands making house calls, too, deploying their sales staff to homes, recalling a bygone era of Tupperware parties.
Access Auctions
Institutions are currently hemorrhaging cash as they sustain operations without new income. One zoo feared that it would have to feed animals to other animals to survive. One solution is opening institutions with limited capacity: an Access Auction. This is especially true for open-air locations that have inherently lower risks of transmission, but it would be equally feasible in museums and galleries, save for some security and operational logistics. The reality is that benefactors and donors to cultural institutions have always reaped exclusive rewards — our current situation hasn’t changed that wealth equals access. If someone is willing and able to pay a premium to experience your offerings solo, perhaps it is worth making the proper accommodations. If I had the cash, I would kill for a day at the Barnes with no other people. Disney without lines? Heaven. But there’s no reason this shouldn’t be democratized as well. Broadway lotteries have enabled countless visitors to experience shows, Including Hamilton for a Hamilton ($10), while in the company of $1500 patrons.
Meeting People Where They Are
Hey brands: it’s time to get authentic. Generosity is your new currency, and flexibility is now standard practice. Connecting all of these initiatives must be a renewed commitment to customer service. Going above and beyond will no longer be reserved for luxury, but will rather become the new normal. We’ll need to meet people where they are, both physically and emotionally. Operations will need to be overhauled, including technology. Touch screens will most likely become a thing of the past (hallelujah), and touchless fixtures will become standard practice for restrooms and entrances. And experiences in the near future, “Access Auctions” aside, might need to be self-funded by brands eager to reconnect with customers. Today at Apple in-store events have been a remarkable traffic driver, transforming the store (in the words of Angela Ahrendts) into a modern town square.
When the sun finally decides to rise again, we will return to an unfamiliar world. Brands that want to remain relevant should dive deep into programming and customer experience, creating destination-worthy offerings that help to make their physical footprints relevant in a world of deliveries. The brands that remember we’re human, and that we’re better when we’re together, will win—deservingly.
