2024 Communication Hacks In a Sea of Superfluous Words:
A Place of Compassion & Encouragement
To Promote Stewardship in
A Techy-Communication-Climate
Perhaps it’s no surprise that I think about communication…most of the time. Can you get a masters by thinking? This makes me no expert…just a fellow muser and observer. A fellow fish swimming upstream in a sea of superfluous words.
This muser has some strong opinions, observations…and hopefully, some “hacks for the times.”
Although I have very high expectations for communication, because I find it vitally important to life and relationships of any kind, I also have deep compassion for us: navigating the current communication waters in this tech age.
No one was prepared for being required to think about so many other people all the time right within palms’ reach.
No one was prepared for having to navigate the ever-changing climate around communication with a new app coming out about every month for the last decade-ish.
No one was prepared or taught how to respond to or how to manage all these bleepin’ APPS.
None of us have been prepared for all the apps and streams which demand our attention, and demand it constantly.
One of the greatest resources we have, the very resource that so many others desire to capture, is our attention. Our attention has value and in today’s vast array of apps and platforms, it is often monetized and frankly, manipulated.
In an effort to highlight “stewardship” of communication in our day, I submit ideas for a few “communication hacks” for our consideration:
Fasting
Filtering
Follow-through
& Focus
(you're welcome for the useless alliteration)
Fasting–
I would propose that fasting has been nearly forgotten. It’s Scriptural. Jesus himself led a life of fasting. So, in response to an attention grabbing world ridden with confusion, superfluousness, and exhaustion—fast.
Have fun fasting. Savor it.
Ask the Holy Spirit which apps you get to turn off and when. Ask Him to guide you. Find ways to turn your phone off. Find ways to work without your computer. Instead of zooming, get your eyes off a screen and make an extra coffee meeting or take a phone call instead. Use a journal to write emails and then voice dictate your emails. I realize at first this might take more effort. But believe me, our brains deserves it—they may even be desperate for it.
Our eyes weren’t made for these screens and we aren’t a slave to them, unless we give in to them. Get creative. Create some agency. Value and protect your time and attention. Promote tech health and healthy communication in your sphere of influence. I believe this is vital to our thriving in this next decade. And please, for the love of everything good…follow the Holy Spirit’s prompting. His way works every time. When I’m not able to discern His voice around fasting and I try to muscle out my own ideas–it fails. When He is behind something, it works every time. If you’re not sure, wait for it to be clear. Sometimes no answer…is no answer.
Filtering–
Which apps are most “heavy” for you? Get off. Delete. End of story. You don’t have to be on all the apps. Pick some you like and for goodness sake–LIMIT yourself. You’re not a victim. If your workplace or friend group doesn’t support your moves toward health, get a new job. Find new friends. You do not have to be available to work and peers 24/7.
Follow-through–
Let’s master the communication lanes we choose to be a part of. Please, don’t submit to ghosting culture. It’s rude, inconsiderate and inhuman. Yes, I said it. People take time to send you those little messages. There is intention and love (sometimes misguided) behind these moves. Would you not respond if someone got up the courage to come and talk right to your face? It’s the same. It’s actually the same. There are hearts behind these devices. When people don’t respond to things, it comes off as a sign of immaturity, over-saturation or a victim mentality. It’s not a sign of health. Steward what is in your hands and care for the people who come to you.
Choose your communication lanes and crush. It’s okay to say, “I don’t do email—call me.” Or: “Sorry, I don’t have GroupMe, shoot me a text?” Have the integrity to tell someone to stop contacting you. For the love of everything holy: SAY NO.
Don’t abdicate the responsibility of responding. Everything that comes to us is our responsibility to respond to—but we CAN say no. Do it lavishly and with grace. Enjoy.
What’s more, close communication loops. One of the most useful strategies is to mark emails and texts unread, even after you’ve read and said: “I’ll get right back to you, let me give this some thought.” Or: “I’ll get back to you next week.”
Let’s give official permission to say to one another, “I don’t have capacity to consider this right now.” Or: “Thanks for thinking of me, I’m saturated right now…” Or maybe: “Cool idea–thanks!” (You don’t have to read every article that is sent to you or make any weird promises–acknowledgement is enough to close the loop).
I hate to be the bearer of unpleasant news: people won’t respect you or might get hurt if you don’t respond. You can give yourself plenty of margin by saying something or saying no.
Focus–
Ask the Lord to show you the areas of investment that you need to be stewarding. Get out of all the other groups, apps, relationships and let go of those other responsibilities. Get a work phone if you need to. Prioritize play, enjoyment, and beauty in your tech experiences…don’t let work or burden override the helpfulness of the tool. The scripture I most love for this topic is found in Psalm 16: “My boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places, surely I have a delightful inheritance.” We don’t have to focus on all the things. We don’t have to do what other people do. We have agency.
You can do this. I believe in us—in the communication culture we create. Let’s simplify our lives in 2024. Simplicity is beautiful. Saying no is freedom. Let’s make “no” popular and safe in our communities again. Protect your time and attention, knowing that they have value. “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.” (Matt 6:22) Be intentional about what you put before your eyes.
I’m for it~
I’m for the unity we have in the body of believers.
I’m for us blessing those who curse us.
I’m for the loving of our enemies.
I’m for us creating healthy communication places and spaces.
I’m for the body of Christ being the most attractive, invitational force of love there is…Jesus is the WORD…may our words bless and not curse.
May our silence be understood.
May our word go forth to create beauty, just as His does.
May we be aligned with Him in 2024 in all ways.
