Postcodes are on their way, and not everyone is happy about it. But if we want an example of why we shouldn't fear them, then we don't have to look far, writes FIONNOLA MEREDITH
THE WAVE OF animosity against the new nationwide system of postal codes, expected to be in place by 2011, isn’t really about the inconvenience of tacking a few letters and digits on the end of your address. It comes from a feeling that something is being lost – an older, possibly richer, distinctively Irish way of life where everything wasn’t categorised and computerised with ruthless efficiency. It’s an understandable reaction.
But for people living in the North, postcodes are the norm. Few people give them a second thought.
These little alphanumerical codes can be handy. Having a postcode effectively smoothes out the bumps and potholes of everyday life. They provide an easy shortcut when you’re ordering something over the phone – just quote the code and the seller knows immediately where you are. Come 2011, no one in Ireland will have to wrestle with the drop-down menu on internet sites that asks for your zip code, making up random letter and number combinations in the hope that one will satisfy the system. You’ll just pop in your own code, and everything will go through sweetly and easily. If you want to buy a new ironing board from Argos, say, you just enter your code on the site and they’ll find and reserve the nearest one in your immediate vicinity. Journeys are made simple by popping the postcode of your destination into Google maps and receiving a pinpoint-accurate map. In the new technological world, compliance means convenience.
Of course, there’s a price to be paid for all this ease of access. Everyone knows exactly where you are – and, increasingly, who you are.
Postcodes are far from an arbitrary lottery – they tell marketers an extraordinary amount about your salary, your property value, your credit rating and possibly even your political affiliations. They’re used as an instant indicator of average wealth, lifestyle and health.
Prof Roger Burrows, an expert in the field of postcode profiling, says that “in some call centres, a message will flash up ‘wealthy customer, handle with care’.” So, for instance, insurers use postcodes to help them categorise applications for financial products in terms of the possible cost to them.
For years, British political parties have been checking their own records of voters’ electoral histories against profiles of every postcode in Britain, building up lists of potential voters that can be targeted by post and phone. And you could have problems getting a loan if you live next door to someone with a poor credit rating – many financial service companies work out risk by tallying up the proportion of local households that have defaulted.
But it’s not all bad news. If you live in a less prestigious area, your pension might be worth more. That’s because annuity rates are based on life expectancy, with those who are likely to live the longest receiving a smaller income per pound of their pension fund. If your address is a bit down-at-heel, you’re judged to be likely to die sooner, so you get a higher pension. Just one of the questionable joys of going codified.
