Why digital life makes us worse at being human

Something strange is happening. You’ve seen it, too. We’re more connected than ever — yet less capable of connection. We talk all the time — but listen less than ever. We scroll, post, reply, comment … but leave conversations feeling drained, misunderstood, or weirdly hollow.

What’s going on?

I’ll tell you what’s going on and I’ll also show you the solution

The digital world is slowly reprogramming how we behave. Not just what we do — but how we interpret other people. We are surrounded by more idiots – than ever.

In face-to-face life, we rely on tone of voice, timing, body language, facial micro-expressions. But online? Well. Here we rely on speed and certainty. Two things real humans are not naturally good at. That’s where a lot of the problems start.

Someone disagrees with you? You don’t read their tone — you read their threat level. Someone writes a long, thoughtful comment? TLDR.

TLDR – what the h*ll is that?

That made some of you curious, right? If you even made it this far, it means Too Long Didn’t Read.

Someone shares something emotional? We hesitate — is this authentic? Or are they oversharing for engagement?

Digital communication doesn’t just flatten our words. It flattens our empathy. It makes us forget on the other end is a real person with flaws, fears, bad sleep, and a hungry cat on the keyboard.

So what happens? We interrupt more. We assume more. We get offended faster. MUCH faster. And even when we don’t mean to, we contribute to a culture where everyone feels a little more … tired.

Try this instead:

• If your conversation feels off — slow down. Breathe. Try to look at it from a different angle. Just because you’re right, they don’t have to be wrong.
• Ask one more question than usual. Use one fewer emoji. Or rid yourself of them completely because people interpret them differently. Some youngsters these days think a thumbs-up and an index finger is the same thing…
• Be generous in how you interpret others, especially in writing. Ask yourself: the thing you’re about to say in writing now – would you say that to someone’s face? If not, well, reconsider.

You’ll be shocked how quickly tone shifts when someone feels heard, not just answered.

I have many times, as an experiment under my own name. tried to address ‘sensitive’ topics by giving two different perspectives. By showing respect for divergent opinions. And it starts a much better dialogue. People might not agree with me, but they bring their guard down and a more intelligent – and human – communication takes place.
Try it. It is actually amazing. BUT! You have to put your mind to it.