We’re on the same team
I’m so sick of social media.
We’re through "sitting with" your ideas, we've been struck by your a-ha moments, and we’re done quietly contemplating your “it’s not this— it’s that” statements.
The onslaught of AI-generated slop videos and dramatic content is tiresome.
And, while social media makes the bigger world more accessible, it is also manipulative, highly targeted to what we believe, and dangerously addictive, keeping us hooked.
The arguing, however, is the most scathing. Content is used as a weapon to immobilize.
The words and tactics we use online signal allegiance, but in the grand scheme of this thing called life, we’re on the same team.
Plus, words often fail to capture the current of humanity that runs deeper than a surface-level interaction.
We are living inside a communications crisis that has very little to do with a lack of things to say, and everything to do with what we've decided words are for.
In the age of the interwebs, we’ve STOPPED using our voices to connect and STARTED using them almost exclusively to SORT: who's in, who's out, who's right, and who deserves a response at all.
Rhetoric is very, very good at making us feel righteous.
Our voice is a tool (double entendre), and how we wield it matters.
Do we consciously use our voices, whether to draw lines to cross or build bridges to understand, or do we just let the wave carry us?
I think it’s worth pondering, and going a little deeper to noodle on communications and how they are paving the road ahead:
When you speak or write or post — are you trying to reach someone, or only to signal to the people already on your side?
Are the words you're putting into the world building the place you want to live? (This is a tricky one — and a slippery slope into righteousness)
When the rhetoric of a moment feels urgent and clarifying, who's doing the guiding? You, or it?
I don’t have answers to these queries, and that’s kind of the point: to discuss and take thoughtful action on questions rather than stick to finite answers.
I also believe that the antidote to weaponized communication is intentional voice, not silence or agreeing with our own individual echo chambers.
Complexity doesn’t fit into a sound bite, which makes it harder to sell than propaganda.
The work we do inside of ourselves to know, like, and trust who we are is what paves the way for us to stay in hard conversations without abandoning ourselves.
And the best part is this isn’t magic or an innate skill — it’s a practice.
Have you recently thought about what you believe?
What values are you prioritizing right now?
Are your actions aligned with your sense of self?
These questions are linked with the ones above, and that’s the inner work that uncovers your authentic voice and helps you free yourself so you can be yourself.
The answers to what comes next aren't out there in online discourse; they’re within all of us.
It’s going to take more of us, all of us, speaking more honestly and carefully at the same time to build the world where we can see that we’re on the same team.
One of my boxing coaches, Erich of E12 Fitness (the GOAT!), uses this phrase in his training and as a mantra: Go slow to go fast. (Yes, I did his website. No, he didn’t invent the phrase but he practices it in all things, and that’s how the magic happens.)
Instead of firing off another post, missive, or agreement with the voice of the week, it may be time to slow down and figure out your voice, what it's for, and what you want it to do in the world.
Of course, I’m happy to help if you want a supportive thought partner as you discover YOU.
Pledging allegiance to humanity,
Michelle
P.S. Missed my post on how being cringe is being free? See it here.
I love occasionally hosting VOXRVA and hearing the stories of Richmonders! Come out and listen (or tell!) a story.
I’m also designing new courses & workshops for organizations on Finding & Using Your Authentic Voice in the Age of AI, and How to Communicate More Authentically and Effectively. Interested in developing something meaningful for your org? Let’s connect!
Want to work together?
Visionaries hire me to help them navigate the liminal points and be a thought partner, coach, and strategist for their lives and businesses.
Leaders hire me to amplify their brand voice, align strategies to values and goals, and work with their teams to facilitate growth and connection through engaging training, workshops, and speaker-led sessions.
Seek yourself. Be more you.
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How we practice is how we change. And how we change is how the world changes. Practice being more you.
