Lumley: Digital world making us more lonely

JOANNA Lumley has warned that the rise of technology means human interaction is ‘dying out’, leading to increased loneliness among elderly people.

As she revealed her plan to retire to a commune with her closest friends, the Ab Fab actress said she worries for elderly people who are being ‘deprived’ of engaging with others because of the digitisation of modern life.

The 71-year-old said she insists on waiting for a cashier in shops rather than using self-service checkouts, because she wants the ‘pure joy of the human contact it involves’. Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, she said: ‘As modern life has become ever more digitised, the loneliness of the elderly has intensified.

‘The advance of technology makes many of us feel more connected, but for those who don’t use it, it’s a different story. Look around a Tube carriage these days and everyone is staring at their screens, not looking at each other...

‘The little snippets of everyday chit-chat we once shared with strangers are at risk of dying out. I’m a great believer in smiling at people and saying “Good morning”, or asking “How are you?”’