The push to make everyone spend increasing amounts of time online seems to be continuing apace.

The online revolution has made doing many things much easier. Buying products that are delivered to the door, paying for goods and services and finding out what is available.

But there is also a downside, which is the effort to force everyone online, whether they want to be there or not.

Banking is something that is becoming more and more of an online activity. Branches are shutting all over the country, taking away that very personal contact.

If things cannot be resolved online, there are customer relations staff on the phone to help out.

They will often be in call centres and it can take some time to get through.

Supermarkets also seem keen for customers to buy online, with deliveries brought to the door. This was particularly useful during the times of Covid lockdowns.

The supermarket also likes customers to use self-service tills in shops, rather than going through the staffed checkouts. Though, it was interesting to see at Christmas some stores moving back more toward staffed checkouts.

The underlying motive for these businesses is to cut staff in order to make more profit.

A different area is the public services. The NHS likes to operate bureaucratically online as much as possible. Many councils are seeking to put most of their services online.

Many benefits are administered online. This can cause a lot of frustration, when people are seeking to get basic services.

Some people are not online and don’t want to be. Should there not be provision made for such people, rather than seemingly just trying to force them online.

When things go wrong, most people just want a human being to talk to, to sort it out.

In an increasingly isolated and anonymous world, there can be real issues of anxiety, caused when things go wrong, a feeling of powerlessness, with no one on hand to help.

Surely, it is time to recognise the very important role of human contact. The need to provide that connection as well as the online improvements. It should not be a one-size-fits-all solution because there are so many factors to cater for in the ever more complex modern world.

  • Paul Donovan is a Redbridge Labour councillor for Wanstead village and blogger. See paulfdonovan.blogspot.com