Ideal Communication Method: Part 1
Ideal Communication Method: Part 1
Communication has been one of the largest areas of investment for a long time. And we continue pouring our energy and money into it as we search for a utopian experience.
Communicating before Technology
Only a few methods existed:
Looking back from today, it is easy to point out the shortcomings of these methods. They were slow. One couldn't communicate with groups. Broadcasting was through radio and television. Humans are adaptable creatures and we adjusted to these shortcomings.
While communication speed was slow, it was effective. It didn't take many postal service letters to communicate our thoughts. We used to put in far more effort before writing that letter. If something was time-sensitive, we sent telegrams. For those who could afford, fax helped speed up the communication process. And the good old face-to-face was not seen as a time-consuming form of communication. I remember growing up in an Armed Forces background when I first heard "call-on" from my parents. Call-on is an army lingo for a meeting at home. During the evening walks in the cantonment, people would run into each other and fix the call-on. One person would say to another, "We'll call-on sometime tomorrow evening after our walk". Note that call-on had no specific time. After walk meant before dinner. Try fixing a meeting today using this method. Despite better tools and visibility, meetings in current times have more reschedules.
Communicating after Internet
Let's start with typical inboxes we've in our modern lives:
Current communication methods are much faster. They have increased how far we can communicate. And the number of people we can communicate with. These benefits come at the cost of overloaded inboxes. Simple keep up has become an unattainable stretch.
Communicating in Future
My next notes will build upon this to understand two underlying factors:
As humans, we'll keep working towards achieving nirvana!
Next Notes:
Communicating before Technology
Only a few methods existed:
- Postal Mail
- Fax
- Telegram
- Face-to-Face
Looking back from today, it is easy to point out the shortcomings of these methods. They were slow. One couldn't communicate with groups. Broadcasting was through radio and television. Humans are adaptable creatures and we adjusted to these shortcomings.
While communication speed was slow, it was effective. It didn't take many postal service letters to communicate our thoughts. We used to put in far more effort before writing that letter. If something was time-sensitive, we sent telegrams. For those who could afford, fax helped speed up the communication process. And the good old face-to-face was not seen as a time-consuming form of communication. I remember growing up in an Armed Forces background when I first heard "call-on" from my parents. Call-on is an army lingo for a meeting at home. During the evening walks in the cantonment, people would run into each other and fix the call-on. One person would say to another, "We'll call-on sometime tomorrow evening after our walk". Note that call-on had no specific time. After walk meant before dinner. Try fixing a meeting today using this method. Despite better tools and visibility, meetings in current times have more reschedules.
Communicating after Internet
Let's start with typical inboxes we've in our modern lives:
- Email: One work email inbox. One or two personal email inboxes. For the most part, they are on different platforms which means our mind needs to context switch for each.
- Messaging: Plethora of services. Phone-based text messaging. Messaging apps predominant for personal use. Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, Signal, Telegram, Viber, LINE, imo, Discord and more. Add the layer of work messaging apps like Microsoft Teams and Slack.
- Platforms: For every aspect of our lives, there seems to be a platform. LinkedIn for work. Facebook for personal. Nextdoor for neighbors. And so many more niche platforms and communities.
- Face-to-Face: Except for the current pandemic, we are traveling quite a bit. More than what we did every previous decade. Better transportation mechanisms have helped. This has led to a surge in the number of face-to-face meetings we've as compared to our parents' generation.
Current communication methods are much faster. They have increased how far we can communicate. And the number of people we can communicate with. These benefits come at the cost of overloaded inboxes. Simple keep up has become an unattainable stretch.
Communicating in Future
My next notes will build upon this to understand two underlying factors:
- Why do we communicate?
- What should the ideal communication method achieve?
As humans, we'll keep working towards achieving nirvana!
Next Notes:
- Ideal Communication Method: Part 2
- Ideal Communication Method: Part 3
Let's Talk: If you have a true experience that resonates, please send me an email.
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