I know why I use self-service machines for purchasing tickets and checking in at airports: repeatability and speed. I've memorized my interaction sequence with the German rail ticket machines to the point where I can get a ticket in 25 seconds. No desk service is that fast. Also, I don't have to deal with potential human unpredictability and communicating what I want. My interaction with the machine is already in muscle memory, and I don't feel rude when specifying things with extreme precision. Getting a specific seat on a plane is a multi-step operation at a checkin counter. Some clerks ask you if you want an aisle or window seat, but sometimes act offended when I ask for seat 3C. Some don't ask at all, and print out the boarding card before I can complain (not that it's a big deal where I sit, but it's a factor). Poking the 3C box on the self-service machine allows me to disregard the mood the clerk is in and get what I want. I feel more in control, and don't feel like I'm being a difficult customer. When I first moved here, I had a major language problem, so having machines with a language switch helped me a lot. But even now that I speak the language fluently, I still prefer automated experiences. The article has a point, there are a number of people in my life I care about, but bank tellers and checkin clerks are not important to me. I'll be nice to them when I encounter them, but I much prefer not having to interact with them. After all, they are entering the same stuff into the machine as I would, ideally.