By Ikkz Ikbal
I was about to check out. I had purchased my favorite gift for my cousin, Ayesha. She had freshly graduated from Kindergarten and I had promised her a special gift. Then suddenly my heart stopped breathing as my Mobile Banking App succumbed leaving me in complete chaos and confusion. It was such an embarrassing moment. She started crying. Then I had to purchase it on credit just to please this little angel.
In this age of digitization, where smartphones have become extensions of ourselves, everything is now at our fingertips. The advancement in mobile banking has made cashless transactions more convenient. The mobile banking apps have transformed the way we manage our finances, making transactions easy with a single tap on the screen. Who can forget lugging around a bulging wallet full of cards, cash, and whatnot?
However, these technological conveniences come with potentially equal embarrassment. Many of you can relate to me, when you run out of cash or forget your cash wallet at your home, and you feel awkward when even all those fine mobile banking apps stop responding. A moment of cringe-worthy awkwardness ensues.
Picture this: you are at the checkout counter of a shop, cashless but have your smartphone with you which is loaded with a sophisticated mobile banking app. You are about to check out your favorite “shopping” and suddenly your mobile banking app refuses to co-operate. And you pretend to search through pockets, and keep tapping on the screen to no avail and you are counting down a minute before the next one. You are left stranded, the curious shoppers and the cashier look at you with sympathy and impatience.
This digital awkwardness does not stop here. Imagine you are traveling on a public transport and all of a sudden you realize you have left your cash wallet at home and your banking app is also napping. I can feel this embarrassment as I have met with this situation many times.
I recently visited my sister’s house. And I wanted to give some money to my niece and nephew. But my mobile banking app stopped responding and, unfortunately, I was also out of cash. The moment then turned awkwardly embarrassing, Only I know.
There are numerous other such instances we encounter day-in and day-out. Thus, as we tackle these digital problems, it is necessary to exercise caution and use technology responsibly. So, what can be done to avoid these cringe-worthy awkward situations and stop them from becoming recurring nightmares?
Some Solutions
Here are a few examples of such situations and potential solutions:
1. EMERGENCY CASH STASH:
Always keep a small amount of cash in your wallet to deal with those unexpected moments when the digital modes of payment go down. This will provide you with confidence to handle situations with a peace of mind, knowing you won’t get overwhelmed and respond in embarrassing ways.
2. DUAL PAYMENT METHODS:
It is prudent, in my opinion, to make use of both traditional cash and digital mobile banking for a seamless transaction experience. Having a backup payment method is crucial and can be a lifesaver when confronted with unexpected technological hiccups.
3. INCREASED DIGITAL LITERACY:
Take time to understand how the mobile banking app works. Having a profound knowledge about functionalities like the offline mode or other vital payment options may prevent you from the annoying predicament that occurs when you run out of money or digital napping.
4. COMMUNICATION IS KEY:
Before going into any social settings, let others know that you are a person who relies on digital transactions. This kind of communication is crucial to manage expectations and minimize embarrassment arising due to technological back-logging.
While we are having fun balancing the advantages of digitization and its possible dangers, let these embarrassing situations be dealt with caution and grace. In this age of cashless payments, let’s not forget to keep a few cash bills in our wallets.
In these rare moments of technology malfunction where somebody may be exposed, a dash of humor can be the best possible response. You know what, the best way to deal with life’s weirdness is by smiling. So, the next time your mobile banking app goes down without notice, let it go and take a deep breath. It might even be fun to smile at an unfortunate incident with your loved ones nearby.
As we continue to evolve with modern technological advancements, let’s not forget that technology is just a “tool” though a powerful one, but a tool nonetheless. By approaching and adopting it with caution, responsibility and a dash of preparedness, we can transform these awkward moments into stories of strength, reminding us that even in the digital age, a touch of humanity can turn a glitch into a giggle.
Tail Piece
The AI technology glitch was in witness today on account of an outage at the Microsoft headquarters that has adversely impacted industries, banking, healthcare, flight/train schedules around the world, which is staring at a doomsday scenario.
A single update pushed out from an anti-virus company in the US has managed to cause global havoc today. It’s being described as the biggest outage ever.
This Microsoft outage has taken out almost all the major and important services and companies across the world.
Notwithstanding how life has been positively impacted by technology in almost all spheres of human activity in recent decades, it’s tom foolish to lose sight of the unforeseen glitches in the AI-inspired technology that keep cropping up once every while, with the potential to spell doom everywhere around us at a time of its own choosing. The world has never been more vulnerable to such IT and AI-related threats as it’s poised to contend with right now.
A foolproof security system needs to be conceived and put into place to prevent such contretemps from occurring in future.
- The author is a columnist
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