Communication

The devil in the digital world

by simon davis
11/08/16
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Is it just me or do others get utterly frustrated increasingly frequently at our computerised, digital world?  It is not as though I am digitally challenged: I once completed two years’ full-time training in the use of computers and have worked with them intimately for many years.  It is just that life has become so complicated: it has become so hard to do things which used to be so simple. 

Take the case of recording a change of address.  I recall once having a bank account closed because I had forgotten to inform the bank of my new address.  I accept that it was my fault that I then had to go through the tedious process of opening a new account.  I have recently changed my address again and so have had to notify my banks and other interested parties of this fact.  In some instances this has been easy, but in others it has been anything but.  I have been asked by one to provide a bill or statement with my new address on it.  As I have now retired and my new address is actually my wife’s work address this has been impossible and I have notified them of this, but there are so many rigid rules nowadays to prevent money laundering that exceptions cannot be made.  I have been asked by another to pay out good money in order to get a notarised bank statement.  No way am I going to do this.  The irony is that they might now send my details to somebody else!

I have several bank accounts in different countries so am a frequent user of internet banking with its combination of user ID’s, PIN numbers, multiple passwords, memorable data and security devices, not to mention the various pieces of plastic on which my livelihood now depends.  It is now necessary to “activate” these devices.  Rather like the safety features on different aeroplanes I find that the way in which I must do this is often subtly different in each case.  If I can’t figure it out on my own I then have to ring up the helpline (using Skype in order to minimise costs as it is always an international call).  Before I can get any help though I must make sure I have all the right details to hand so that I can “pass” the various security tests.  I am then subjected to an annoying recorded voice thanking me every twenty seconds for my patience and assuring me that my call is important until a person actually answers my call.  If the Wi-Fi connection goes in the middle of this I must start the whole process over again.  Even when I do get through there is often an irritating delay in the call, causing both parties to interrupt one another, making communication difficult. 

I must remember so many user ID’s and passwords that I have written them all down in a notebook.  I don’t know what I would do if I lost this or it fell into the wrong hands.  I can’t use the same password for different things as some organisations have become fussier and insist on the use of non-alphanumeric characters. 

The amount of documentation has also increased, not decreased as one might have thought.  I recently used an on-line conveyancer to help me make a property purchase.  I regularly received emails informing me that I had so many “tasks” to complete.  It was rather like being a schoolboy receiving homework all over again.  This process often involved reading through many very lengthy documents couched in legalese.  I don’t remember even legal documents being so lengthy in the past: is it now the case just because computers make the process so much easier? 

I guess it’s all part and parcel of living in the post 9/11 world with all the “due diligence” that has now become necessary.  Whatever happened to the concept that one was presumed innocent until proved guilty?  This has now been completely turned around and the innocent majority are grossly inconvenienced because of the guilty few.  There is an old saying that “the devil is in the detail”.  I think he is also omnipresent in today’s digital world, causing a great deal of confusion, frustration and annoyance to many people.