Signal to noise ratio

It’s almost impossible to have a substantive conversation at a soccer match. It’s too loud. Too much noise.

It’s exhausting to listen to some politicians speak, because there’s nothing being said. Not enough signal.

Signal to noise ratio is the measure of how much cruft we have to work through to get to the heart of the message.

The discussion to have when your message isn’t getting out is: Is the world too noisy, or is our signal too weak?

The internet is the noisiest communication medium ever developed at scale. And often, it has vanishingly small signal as well.

When you give everyone a microphone, they might surprise you by using it, even if they don’t have much to add.

One solution is to find a quiet space when you have something to say. Now (in this loud place, filled with spam) might not be as good as later, in a setting you’ve earned, saying something you care about, to people who are listening.

Cut down your noise, improve your signal.

 

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