Strategically Communicating

“The need for tighter scheduling and synchronization of work, transport, devotion, and even leisure provided the impetus for rapid progress in clock technology,” writes (Nicholas Carr, 2010) about 18^th century Europe in The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brain.  Social mores were affected by the technology of the day.

So what’s up today? Our social mores are still being influenced by technology (for better or worse.) A Sunday, Oct. 28, New York Times article by Carolyn Tell talks about how not long ago, the only way to break a social engagement was to call or in-person create a white lie along with a profuse apology. But disturbingly in these modern times, she says, “When our fingers type our way out of social obligations, the barriers to canceling have been lowered. Not feeling up for going out? Have better plans? Just type a note on the fly and hit send.”

She terms this “digital flakiness” and states that the face-to-face-consequences of having to disappoint have all but disappeared.

Question: Have you pushed the boundaries of social engagement by a last-minute change in plans, that if you had had to call the person or face them, you would have thought twice about doing so? Sociologists call these last-minute change of plans micro-coordination. Do you see this “indeterminacy” as a force in your life?