By Bill Barth
Things that really annoy me:
One, those confounded artificial intelligence robots pretending they exist to give me customer service.
Rotten liars, all of them.
A business trip recently put me in contact with a hospitality company and a bank. I won’t name the companies because it wouldn’t be fair. They’re not doing anything their competitors aren’t doing.
After arguing with the robot I reached a person representing the hospitality firm. The process was annoying and the person definitely was not on this continent, but it was just a warm-up for the banking call.
The bank robot wanted to fight, I swear. It kept asking me questions. I kept insisting on speaking with a representative. The AI robot would not allow it and, to my surprise, started to get huffy. So I matched huffy, demanding a real person. Back and forth. Then the robot hung up on me.
Huh?
So I asked my phone’s AI – two can play this game – how to get around a sassy robot.
“Wait for the initial greeting to finish completely, and firmly state ‘live representative’ or ‘speak to a representative’.”
I did. The robot argued. And hung up again.
To the companies, I know what you’re doing. AI does not get sick, pregnant, take vacations or expect a paycheck. Customers? They’ll get used to the hassle.
Sadly, like sheep, we already are.
Two, we live near one of those streets with redesigned traffic flow. Brilliant. Everybody we know hates it. All it does is clog and confuse traffic and inflame tempers.
At the stop sign the other day leaving the subdivision, I waited for two bicycles to pass.
On the sidewalk, of course, not the brand new bike lane.
That’s pretty much an everyday occurrence. Bicyclists come and go, seldom using the new painted lane but choosing to stay on the sidewalk where they’ve always been.
Can’t say I blame them. I wouldn’t want to ride a bicycle a few inches away from speeding cars and lumbering semis. The walkways definitely seem safer. I certainly would not want my grandkids biking snugged up against traffic.
This set-up makes my annoying list, too. Maybe worse. Maybe dangerous.
After all these years of driving one way we’re now supposed to believe the change makes sense? Not to me.
Three, like lots of folks we cut the television cord. Cost was a factor, but mostly we liked that streaming services had just a fraction of the annoying ads as regular TV.
Until they get you hooked.
More every year, our streamers keep piling on advertising interruptions. A couple more years at this pace and there won’t be any difference left.
Don’t even get me started with online and social media ads. Slow down and look at something and the algorithms will bury you in ads. On Facebook I click the X to get rid of ads, but the feed fills up again in no time.
Meanwhile, the phone is spying on us. It listens. Mention a product or interest when a phone is around and the next thing you get is an ad for it.
Technology is creepy. Why can’t Congress get these greedy tech-heads out of our lives, letting us choose privacy over annoyance?
Four, I’m annoyed by curbside beggars.
Not long ago there were none. Now they’re waiting and watching and waving all over the place.
Some look pretty healthy to be along the roadside asking for handouts. Some look needy and unhealthy.
For those who can, there are jobs going unfilled. It doesn’t take education or skill to cut grass or police the trash on those same roadsides. And, so far, AI hasn’t built a robot to do the work.
For the more challenged, government programs help with shelter and food and healthcare and you name it. So why beg?
For the community, it’s unsightly and does the opposite of polishing our reputation. Yet authorities look the other way.
That’s neither humane nor a public service. Do better.
Five, I know ranting like this makes me seem like just another crotchety old man shaking a fist at the world.
I’ll own that.
Because my late mother taught me to watch my mouth and make nice, I won’t repeat the colorful words that come to mind when confronting these modern annoyances, though such language would match my mood.
We are not made better, in my humble view, by indifferent technologies driven by greed. We are not improving society by lowering expectations of people. We are not well served by throwing out what works and adopting silly redesigns.
What annoys you? I’d like to hear about it at the email address below. I promise you won’t get a robot reply.
Bill Barth is the former Editor of the Beloit Daily News and a member of the Wisconsin NewsMedia Hall of Fame. Write to him at bbarth@beloitdailynews.com.
