Customer service as a mirror of modern life
The article examines how customer service reflects broader societal trends like impatience, impersonal technology, and declining social skills. It argues poor service stems from modern life's prioritization of speed over human connection, suggesting fixes require cultural shifts.
Background
- The article argues that the state of customer service reflects broader societal and technological trends, such as automation, outsourcing, and the erosion of trust and personal connection in modern life.
- It likely critiques the shift toward impersonal, cost-cutting systems (chatbots, call centers, self-service) and what that says about how people are treated and valued in the digital age.
- Connor Gurney is a UK-based writer and technologist who frequently examines the intersection of technology, society, and ethics, with a background in philosophy and software engineering.
- The piece was published in mid-2026, placing it in the context of widespread AI deployment in customer-facing roles (e.g., LLM chatbots, automated phone systems) and growing public frustration with "enshittification"—the perceived decline in quality of digital services as platforms prioritize profit over user experience.