The Human Touch

What the coronavirus taught us

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown everyone how technology can assist in maintaining some semblance of normalcy. From video conferencing to food home delivery, there is little doubt that it has made any quarantine measures more acceptable. Even late night talk show hosts have continued with their shows from home, made possible using technology. Many artistes have given free online concerts to keep the many individuals cocooned in their homes entertained.

Yet behind this calm lurked the evils of being “caged” in your own homes. From the rise in domestic violence to the worry of a deteriorating mental health, Man was certainly never made to be an island. Moreover, many jobs can never be digitised or be settled remotely, leaving them penniless as jobs evaporate.

So, something is certainly missing from this experience. Something that everyone longs to have.

The human interaction. Yes, this has been severely curtailed with the quarantine measures. The digital platforms, like Zoom, still doesn’t give the same satisfaction. The satisfaction of seeing all the non-verbal gestures in their full glory. This aspect is so important during conversations and translates more information than the the number of words in a conversation.

This aspect can be so obvious in the tone of all those late night hosts in US, presenting at home to an “empty” room and their demeanour, speaks volumes to how removing social interactions can have on any mentality. There is a tinge of resignation in their voices, as they too tackle the hardships of being quarantined from the world.

Technology is important no doubt, but this pandemic has thought us one thing. It will never replace that human touch so ingrained in our DNA and it’s importance to the survival of mankind.