THUNK 263. Communication Overload
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Nov 28, 2025 A look at why frictionless messaging has backfired and slowed productivity. A clear distinction between communication overload and information overload. Practical rules from high-risk fields like radio discipline for clearer, lower-cost coordination. Simple habits to reduce notifications, condense messages, and prioritize face-to-face or voice for important matters.
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The Productivity Paradox Of Ubiquitous Computing
- Computers and the internet are everywhere but haven't moved measured productivity much, creating the productivity (Solo) paradox.
- Despite massive investment since the 1970s in email, smartphones, servers, and cloud, raw output per labor hour shows little change.
Speed Of Messaging Versus Speed Of Understanding
- The bottleneck isn't message transmission speed but the audience's ability to assimilate and act on information.
- Fast, frictionless messaging increases volume without improving recipients' time to build usable knowledge.
Communication Created New Hidden Work
- Gains from faster communication were offset by new duties like generating and processing more messages.
- Email multiplied work: easy CCs and updates created demand for knowledge generation that overwhelmed users.