Communications induced stress is fast becoming a common problem as social media is added to the public's existing diet of electronic communication at work and home.
This is according to Pieter Streicher, MD of BulkSMS.com, who notes that Internet and mobile technologies have made it easy for people to keep in touch constantly. In many cases, these communications are perceived as requiring our immediate attention and response.
“This leaves one open to direct communications for business or personal reasons, as long as you are connected to your preferred social media site. Maybe it's time to step back and ask yourself: 'Have you opened yourself up to more communications than you can actually handle?'” says Streicher.
The initial idea behind social networking sites was to provide meaningful interactions and reduce unwanted communications. In practice, the opposite has happened, leaving users with more 'noise' collecting in their inboxes.
“Access to communications is increasing as costs decrease. As a result, it is inevitable that unwanted communications will also increase, and therefore leaves us with communication overload.”
Fear of rejection
This situation, notes Streicher, is further accentuated as people find it difficult to reject new friend requests or expel existing friends on social media services such as Facebook.
“The psychological cost of offending someone else seems to weigh in above the need to reduce the amount of communications received,” he continues.
Since it is unlikely that daily electronic communications will decrease, and phones and e-mail will be replaced by social networking sites, the most effective strategy to combat communication overload, according to Streicher, is to find more efficient ways of using these technologies.
The real trick is in creating more manageable work and personal spaces to deal with incoming calls, SMS and e-mail messages, he says. This should be done with other forms of Internet-based communications too, such as those generated by social networking services.
When dealing with incoming communications, consider not answering all calls or SMS messages as and when they occur. Use the silent button on cellphones so calls or message alerts do not disrupt activities. Don't read all e-mails and turn off social networking services' e-mail alert function.
When sending communications, Streicher says users should consider the following factors in selecting the most appropriate communication medium:
(a) Intrusiveness - how disruptive is the medium to another person's activities?
(b) Effectiveness - how urgently does one need to communicate something?
(c) Emotional appropriateness - how sensitive is the information or the situation?
Replacing phone calls or voicemails with an e-mail or SMS wherever possible will help decrease the load. Use SMS for urgent notifications and when the recipient is mobile, use e-mail for less urgent communications. Use a phone call or face-to-face meeting to communicate emotionally sensitive matters, he concludes.
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