Euan Semple posted about the digital overwhelm we are facing more and more as online systems become ever more dictated yet poor interface design makes them unusable. If you’re waving at someone to get their attention for assistance, and they continually ignore you, you will submit and put up with the pain.
Lately I’ve been thinking along similar lines as I see more and more technology changes fall upon deaf ears. For example, Microsoft 365 has a large and constantly changing suite of technologies for collaboration but when people are not guided in their use, the benefits can’t possibly be realised. And that is unfortunate.
A symptom of Euan’s digital overwhelm is the deaf ear. People stop listening because it’s all too hard. And just as overwhelmed are those who have been trying to assist them. Why bother trying to help someone who doesn’t want to listen. In that moment we forget we are all people trying to do our best to help each other. Instead it becomes me and them. I’m right and they are lazy/incompetent/ignorant.
It will get better. I have faith in that. It has too… And I’m trying my best to help where I can. If only they would listen to me!