This post is more of a rant, and a look at how things have changed over the last few years.
I have been in and around the wonderful and ever changing world of IT, and all things geek, for over 13 years now – and have seen and experienced many changes in how information is delivered and handled.
Recently, I suddenly realised that I was getting bombarded with information from all sides. Not only that, but pressures had increased almost in proportion to the information streams. Let me give you an example of what I mean.
It is not so long ago that I remember thinking, “Wouldn’t it be great to get my emails sent to my phone so that I can deal with them at any time”. Now of course I have what I wished for, and have three email accounts feeding to my smart phone. I also have social media messages rattling through my phone, as well as tweets, re-tweets, Facebook and Google+ updates that keep rolling in.
Of course, the physical number of hours in my day have proportionally increased to handle this new and exciting stream of constant interaction … wait a minute – no they haven’t! I simply find myself working outside what I would consider normal working hours in order to keep all these areas active.
What has all this meant? For starters, it has driven information delivery in such a way that you can know about something before you see it on the news or in a paper. It has also unfortunately increased peoples expectation of instant responses to emails, messages etc. – which only leads to a heightened stress factor.
As a result, prioritising then becomes even more of a necessity. This helps you or I cope when handling the huge volume of data, but often offends someone at the other end who feels we have not given a timely answer to their very social approach.
Hence, my title for this rant … sorry post … Bombardment.
How do you manage your interactions with today’s Technology and communication?
I am considering buying a pigeon coup and going back to pigeon post.
Let me know.
I totally agree. I feel so pressured to answer an email the instant it arrives in my inbox. I’ve wondered for a long time if it’s just a pressure I’ve put on myself but reading this would suggest otherwise.
Thanks for making me feel better.
Though i haven’t exactly helped myself. I found this post through my LinkedIn app on my phone. Argh!
Yes, Jon that’s the feeling. We always tend to set higher standards for ourselves and then we feel bad if we haven’t dealt with something that has been in the inbox for a while. I also find, now that I am pushing on a bit, that if I do not deal with it immediately, there is a chance that I will forget and move on. Ah the mobile age we live in.