I never understood the “less social interaction” argument. Cashiers don’t care if you go through the whole interaction with them without making eye contact and only saying what’s absolutely necessary for the transaction. Plus, self checkouts are very picky and if you mess anything up even a little bit they start loudly inviting someone to come help you anyway.
A human at the other end of the exchange forces you to think about that human, to consider that human, and to acknowledge the existence of that human, whether they speak or not. Don’t have to feel that way with a machine.
Yes, some people are that bad that even silent interaction produces anxiety. It’s why I prefer emails and texts instead of live phone calls. I can communicate on my own time after thinking it through and not feel obligated to respond immediately (that’s what Asperger’s does to a MF)
I never understood the “less social interaction” argument. Cashiers don’t care if you go through the whole interaction with them without making eye contact and only saying what’s absolutely necessary for the transaction. Plus, self checkouts are very picky and if you mess anything up even a little bit they start loudly inviting someone to come help you anyway.
It’s not about whether they actually care. It’s about whether I’m worried they might care. It’s very stressful for neurodivergent people.
Standing near someone is too much social interaction for me and I can do the self checkout blindfolded.
A human at the other end of the exchange forces you to think about that human, to consider that human, and to acknowledge the existence of that human, whether they speak or not. Don’t have to feel that way with a machine.
Yes, some people are that bad that even silent interaction produces anxiety. It’s why I prefer emails and texts instead of live phone calls. I can communicate on my own time after thinking it through and not feel obligated to respond immediately (that’s what Asperger’s does to a MF)
Well, some days I just fell more comfortable not interacting at all with a cashier if possible,
Regarding machine issues, yes, they sometimes ruin the flow, but it’s something occasional.