The Babble Virus

Why can’t we communicate anymore?  Our frameworks are too small.  We have outgrown our paradigms.  This manifests in a myriad of ways but the simplest, most obvious expression is the Babble Virus (Complexity)

Babble - 1.to utter in an incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner (Merriam Webster Dictionary; 2. to talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way (Random House Dictionary)

 Sound Familiar?

Much of our talk falls on deaf ears. The drive to be “right” takes precedence over the need for critical thinking or shared thinking. We/they and either/or conversations forces false choices and fortifies division. Alreading knowing constrains innovation and unprecedented thinking.

Although, most evident in the political realm the babble virus has infected the internal workings of our business, social and interpersonal communications. In a survey conducted of 100 people this year by DiBianca Associates, over half of the respondents said they felt concerned about having political conversations at the Thanksgiving table (many felt the need to restrict or prohibit them).

Is our communication becoming so explosive and polarized that we fear family food fights, or worse? Too often, opinions are being spoken as facts while opposing views are combatively discarded at the get-go. Then there is the ongoing digital divide – a gap between people who access, understand and use up-to-date verifiable information and communication technology and those who don’t.

This visibility is bringing a large, fundamental issue into vivid view: the rapid disconnection and disintegration of a society as we know it. Why?