Hell is not other people – it’s being stuck in the ninth circle of an automated telephone service | Hilary Freeman

The world’s first ATM was introduced in Britain in 1967 , but for me the tyranny of machines that promise convenience but erode human contact really began about 20 years ago , in the form of self-checkouts in our local Sainsbury 's.

I wrote about my fear of these machines with their Dalek -like commands and even started a short-lived and extremely unpopular Facebook campaign against them.

But like a modern-day Cassandra , I was doomed to be ignored.

But here’s a little tip for you: if you scream “human being” when asked which option you’d like, it usually works. For now, at least. - Hilary Freeman is a journalist and author.