Chris Skinner's blog

Shaping the future of finance

Do we rely too much on technology?

Chris Skinner Author Avatar
by

I’ve seen many people struggling during lockdown when their WiFi goes down. In fact, in the UK, TalkTalk and Sky Broadband have seen some big issues with celebrities complaining and those who are vulnerable not only losing their internet access but also their telephone access during lockdown Christmas. Not good.

It made me think about whether we rely on technology too much these days?

I remember I had the issue at one book launch in the basement of a cool venue which, as it turned out, had no WiFi and blocked telephone access in the conference room. That made it pretty hard to sell books using my contactless payments terminal.

Equally, Visa and MasterCard had outages in the past couple of years due to a hardware trip and a software glitch. It may have only been for hours, but it was enough to capture the media’s attention and ask the question: does this mean I should always carry cash with me, just in case?

My answer is to always have a range of options. I have three card networks in my wallet – both physical and virtual cards – and cash in the case just in case too.

Thing is that this is also something that can be exploited by clever firms who want you to remember that not everything is about technology, so I thought I’d share today three of my favourite adverts that play into this space. You may have seen them already, but they’re always worth another viewing.

First is the Dutch insurance firm Centraal Beheer, and this advert has done the rounds for a few years but, just in case you haven’t seen it, it’s hilarious:

Equally, there is a fantastic series of adverts by the Norwegian grocery chain called REMA 1000. It plays on the flaws and foibles of voice controlled smart things. This was the first one of theirs that I saw.

But my personal favourite is this one.

Oh, and there’s one more, not so clever but still funny

Who said Norwegians had no sense of humour?

I’m sure other advertisements are using humour to poke fun at technology. If you have any favourites of your own, please let me know.

 

As readers send recommendations, I thought I would add them.

Scottish Voice Recognition

Chris Skinner Author Avatar

Chris M Skinner

Chris Skinner is best known as an independent commentator on the financial markets through his blog, TheFinanser.com, as author of the bestselling book Digital Bank, and Chair of the European networking forum the Financial Services Club. He has been voted one of the most influential people in banking by The Financial Brand (as well as one of the best blogs), a FinTech Titan (Next Bank), one of the Fintech Leaders you need to follow (City AM, Deluxe and Jax Finance), as well as one of the Top 40 most influential people in financial technology by the Wall Street Journal's Financial News. To learn more click here...

Intelligent Money: Our Future Is Where We Do Not Think About Money, As Our Money Thinks For Us

What is the future?

Learn more

Learn more about Chris

About Chris Skinner

The Past, Present And Future Of Banking, Finance And Technology

Fintech expert Chris Skinner: countries need digital transformation to remain competitive

Join me on Linkedin

Follow Me on X!

Hire Chris Skinner for dinners, workshops and more

Learn directly from from one of the most influential people in technology, gain insights from the world's most innovative companies, and build a global network.

Chris’s latest book

Order now

Chris Skinner’s ‘Intelligent Money’ Book Launch Event

Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Finance 2024

Global Awards

Lifetime Achievement Award

Global 100 - 2024 Winner

Chris Skinner - Financial Markets Advisor of the Year - The Finanser - UK 2023

Best Financial Markets Advisor of the Year 2023

30 Best Regtech Blogs and Websites 2023

Kids creating the future bank | TEDxAthens

Captain Cake and the Candy Crew

Captain Cake Winner of a Golden Mom’s Choice Award

TWO-TIME WINNER OF A MOM’S CHOICE GOLD AWARD!

Alex at the Financial Services

Gaping Void's Hugh MacLeod worked with the Finanser