Can you hear me now?
I have been reflecting on the change … trying to determine when the switch got thrown, why, and what it means. Did I miss the memo?
Seemingly suddenly, almost anytime you’re in public in the U.S.– whether in a restaurant or coffee shop, in an airport or a taxiing airplane, on public transportation, sitting on a park bench – there is someone nearby having a loud conversation on their phone, sometimes on a speaker so you experience the entire conversation. Sometimes it’s a work-related Zoom call in progress, or it’s someone watching a video or a show loudly on speaker for all to hear. At the same time, they’re most often oblivious to any impact this might be having on other people’s auditory and mental space, as if they live in a bubble in which other people around them don’t exist at that moment. Perhaps, at that time, they are the center of the universe.
Whether this is a degradation of social norms and civility, or some natural evolution of the social media / mobile communication / hybrid working / digital validation / voyeuristic psychology of the modern age or not, I find myself wondering what it tells us about the realities of communicating today and the mindsets of the many with whom we are trying to communicate.
Certainly, the “intense noise levels” out there are both metaphoric and literally real
Many may be seeking refuge in their own “bubble” with a diminished interest – at least episodically – in the world around them in such moments
The natural human tendency to put one’s own interests first may be being magnified in a world where people may feel overwhelmed or unable to process everything all around them
The instigators may have honed their ability to tune the world out, and are perhaps testing others – through the “training” they are imposing – to do the same.
It certainly means that those with something to communicate need to …
… be very clear about what they are trying to get others to pay attention to …
… be very creative about getting noticed and deemed relevant
… be very thoughtful about having a value proposition in their message that has the power to resonate with an individuals’ own interests
… earn the trust of those with whom they want to connect regularly
As we reflect on how to communicate more effectively moving forward – which we may be doing while wearing noise-cancelling headphones – we know that communicating will only continue to get both more difficult and important.
