What Happens When We Lose Touch of Humans?

A while back, Seamless, a food delivery company in New York made a campaign billboard with a message emblazoned on it: Over 8 million people in New York. We can help you avoid them. The message is clear; they are saving you the time you’d spend leaving your house, taking a bus or ride to the restaurant and queueing to get a meal. You can easily tap and swipe through your phone a couple of times and within minutes, your meal is at your door. You’d do all these without human interaction. In Nigeria, this is what ordering startups like Jumia, Chowdeck, Glovo, and others hope to achieve.

However, in Nigeria, apart from the seamlessness and the comfort that comes with ordering from your own place and at your pace, the economic condition also informs their decision. Some agree that ordering saves the cost of eating out in a restaurant. Beyond food, many Nigerians prefer to watch movies streaming rather than watching them at a cinema. They prefer to simply jump on a video or audio call with a friend rather than go to their houses. They prefer remote or hybrid to on-site jobs.

Meanwhile, despite the comfort that we derive from these innovations, I’m afraid they are hindering the core of who we are as humans: we are gradually losing the emotional connection and consideration we have as humans. A lot of people can spend a week inside their house without speaking to or seeing anyone. This could get us anxious when we eventually have to meet people because, well, how do you know how to relate to people when you don’t?

While convenience and economic factors make digital services like food delivery, streaming, and remote work more appealing in Nigeria, we seem to be overlooking how it leads to a gradual erosion of human interaction. At the heart of our existence as humans is connection, built through face-to-face interactions, shared experiences and genuine empathy. When we choose the ease of online services over meeting people in person, we risk weakening our social bonds and emotional intelligence. We can be anything we want to be behind our keyboards. We say things without considering how the other party might feel because, well, can you see the other party to know? Isolation or limited physical engagement can lead to social anxiety or awkwardness when interacting in real-life situations, as we lose the nuance and practice of communication that only in-person exchanges can offer.

Moreover, reliance on virtual connections diminishes the small but meaningful moments that ground us in the community — having a face chat with a stranger, running into a neighbour, or spending time with friends in a shared space. While these innovations provide comfort and efficiency, they can subtly strip away the social fabric that fosters compassion and mutual understanding. I am wondering if, in our society, the price of convenience is too high.

We spoke to a few BNers on whether they’d prefer ordering, eating in a restaurant, going to the cinema or streaming a movie, texting or calling a friend instead of seeing them, and whether they’d prefer to work remotely forever or on-site. And if they think the comfort that comes with getting things done from their spaces affects their social interactions.

Funmilola

I don’t even prefer to do everything from the comfort of my home, yet the few things I choose to do at home have really affected my social interactions. When I’m out, I tend to keep to myself and often find myself just thinking about going home.

I prefer checking in on a friend in person rather than just calling or texting because that strengthens the friendship. There’s something special about face-to-face interactions — the conversations flow more naturally; you get to share hugs and watch them laugh, and it just feels more real.

With almost everything orderable online — essentials like skincare products, food, books, clothes, shoes, and more — going out sometimes feels strange. That’s why I make sure to go for walks. Beyond the exercise benefits, it helps me get outside. I’m also making a conscious effort to visit friends and family (those who haven’t ‘‘japa’d’’ yet), go to art galleries and church, and do anything worthwhile that gets me out. I need that to stay grounded and avoid becoming socially awkward

Lade

I like outdoor activities but they’ve become super expensive, so I’ve learnt to ignore them for now. I now prefer to order my meals, stream a movie, text a friend and work remotely. Yes, they have affected my social interactions but there are pros and cons to it. I am grateful for the pros, and I know how to fix the cons. I don’t think technology is the problem, but how people interact with technology. Humanity is still in the learning phase with big tech and I think we can learn to value and handle remote connections better with time.

I enjoy maintaining connections over the internet, and I believe it has played a great role in improving some of my relationships. While some people complain about technology posing a hindrance to meeting their need for onsite connections, I think that might be an intentionality, discipline, or responsibility problem, not a technology problem.

I don’t think technology is meant to replace in-person human connections; I see it as an enhancement to human connections. Whenever possible and affordable, we should socialize in person. One thing I can’t deny is how recent economic downturns have affected choices and led people to cut down on non-essential expenses like hangouts, get-togethers, and transportation costs for visits to friends and family.

Layomi

I like the dress-up and the preparation that goes into dining out, but with the hassle of traffic, if it can be delivered, I will just create the right atmosphere at home. Cinema has lost the edge it once had in my opinion. Except it is part of a date with my partner or a squad movement, I am home-streaming. With a big screen TV, I can manage the sound, pause, rewind, fast forward, eat whatever food and drink wine freely. So yes, streaming all day, every day.

In this current climate, worldwide, there is no allure for on-site work for me. I can manage hybrid but like twice a week. Except the money is great and I am super motivated to do it three times a week, I will pick remote work. It just helps me plan better and not worry about transportation, what to eat and spending money on this and that.

To be honest, I believe that if we had a great transportation system that made going to places like Badagry from Ajah seamless, we all would pick in-person visits to friends and family. The reality is that I make do with what I have. When I have money, I go to see my mates, or we settle for virtual conversations. I do not see the point in overthinking it, just make do with what you can do till you can do physical visits.

I don’t think doing everything from the comfort of my home has in any way affected my social interaction with people. It is a preference and it does not mean that I do not go out. For me, I make sure I am just as engaging virtually. So, with calls, texts, voice notes, and video messages, I use them all and try to maintain the intensity. These things did not create itself. Technology is what we feed it and make it out to be. So the idea is to not get lazy because of tech but rather to use tech as an enhancer.

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Feature Image by Mikhail Nilov for Pexels