No screaming on social media; AI and change; and a proven tip for getting unstuck (seriously, it works)
Someone screamed at me on social media. That isn’t news, but as things stand, I don’t go for viral rage-fuelled posts and I don’t normally get screamed at.
I learned from the pros that you have to block thick and fast, and I adhere to that nowadays. (Which is what happened to this screamer.)
Ideally, no one should be screaming outrage content online but too many people got used to the sweet sensation of their fight or flight activating. They love the feeling of the outrage bubbling up while they are in fact physically quite safe. Those addictive hormones flood the brain, and I guess they don’t want to give it up. At least that’s what it looks like from here – my only expertise in addiction is having had people in my life who were addicts. The behaviours look quite similar.
Anyway, this person screamed at me because I committed the sin of saying: when it comes to the current state of and discussion about AI, being worried and excited are both understandable reactions. In general, when faced with monumental change, it makes sense to take a breath, think, and allow ourselves, as humans, the space to catch up to what’s happening.
Naturally, the screamer interpreted this as a Luddite statement against progress, because why wouldn’t they have read into it something that wasn’t said nor intended. But the sweet rush of endorphins only comes if they get to be outraged. For the record, the appeal a few months ago for a moratorium on AI for six months didn’t make sense to me.
In any case, who has patience for fundamentalist or tribal thinking?
Not me. Neither am I interested in getting into a conversation with someone I don’t know who thinks throwing out a few cliched phrases that only work on the surface with a “cos you’re stupider than me” tone qualifies as a discussion.
Because it is discussions I seek. I hope you do too. Not pointless screaming. Nor academic debates. Just a good old-fashioned discussion. Conversation; listening and talking, back and forth, so people can express and others can hear the excitement, the fears, the problems and the possibilities. Because this is important.
Something I don’t hear much discussion about is humans’ ability to adopt new technologies and to adapt. For sure we adapt, but some do so fast and some much slower. Some must be pushed and pulled kicking and screaming. And just because you or I are not like that doesn’t make these people bad or stupid. In fact, when it comes to new technologies, the non-first-adopters are in the majority.
To be clear, the futuristic appeals to me. I’ve always loved sci-fi, I’d been an early adopter of many things, I am curious to a fault, and I’d love to see many of the promised advances materialise. Hey, let’s go to other planets, why not? Let’s make Star Trek a reality.
But I also know people.
And the one thing people are not good at is handling too much being thrown at them.
Yes, there is the advancement of personal technologies (yay I can draw fun pictures with DALLE) – but also the adoption of technologies in systems, companies, and all kinds of organisations of various sizes.
You see, I’ve been fascinated by corporate organisations for decades. I’ve been fascinated by how they move and act – sometimes they behave like a separate organism that cannot be rushed. The larger the business the more it takes its sweet time.
And if you’ve ever tried to move change through an established organisation you know exactly what I am talking about.
It takes forever! And it’s painful! And not just for those who are being forced to change but also for those pushing the change. But it’s life. It’s humanity.
These strange organisms