Why Do We Seem to Have Less Communication?

Communication. It is one of the easiest things in the world. Since we were infants, most of us have been able to communicate. Admittedly, for those who have a more introverted quality to them, it might be a little more difficult. However, even they can now sit behind a computer screen and communicate with the best of them.

My public relations degree was in communications. It is what we do at Jupiter Promotions, and we do it well. However, one thing we have noticed is that a large number of people out there don’t do it well.

It should go without saying that if someone you knew walked up to you and asked a question, you would reply in some manner. Even if you didn’t answer the question, you would communicate in some way. However, there seems to be a disconnect with people in doing this via email or some other form of electronic communication. It’s odd.

I’ve never been able to come to terms with the lack of communication a great number of people seem to have, for no apparent reason. I’ve sent emails and text messages and even made phone calls, all of which went unanswered. There is always an excuse but never a legitimate reason.

I grew up during a time when communication was much more difficult. We had phones that were linked to the wall by a cord. When I was a kid, there was no call waiting, which is a technology that is now antiquated. We eventually had caller ID, which was a huge thing then but now so commonplace that people don’t even think twice about it.

Eventually, we expanded out to using pagers, which still required us to use our landlines or go to a telephone booth (try explaining that to millennials) to reach out to the person who paged us. Cell phones and emails changed the world and electronic communication increased our ability to communicate to a level we never anticipated. Yet, there are so many who still don’t seem to appreciate this.

We don’t have to walk miles just to talk to someone. We don’t have to wait days for a letter to arrive. We don’t have to wait for someone to get off the phone to communicate with them. Communication is easy and should be better than it is.

The world has reached a point in which is unacceptable for people to fail to communicate. If someone asks a question and doesn’t get a response within a timely manner, then you are just being lazy or rude. It is especially tough to swallow when non-communication is trumped by communication with others. It’s often turns out to be a matter of priorities.

So, the next time you get a text message or email or phone call you don’t really want to respond to, just remember what it took for the world to get to where it is now. Appreciate it. And communicate.