Navigating Uncertainty: How Small, Systematic Actions Drive Growth
According to statistics[1], the average human attention span has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds in the last two decades. This trend is accelerating because popular social platforms like TikTok and Instagram promote more instantaneous and brief content. The nature of such new media tends to encourage more sensational and provocative content to maximize monetization on these platforms. As a result, the younger generation could be more prone to developing expectations for immediate gratification rather than critical thinking, driving rash judgments.
Another setback of modern media is that it plays a pivotal role in negatively shaping people’s values in life. Since social media cannot be regulated like conventional media due to its individual-driven nature (rather than corporate-driven), much of the content is highly biased and potentially toxic. For example, the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is a result of this trend, driving people into a sense of insecurity and anxiety. The skewed reality portrayed in the media makes people feel they are living on the wrong side of the world.
The younger generation is especially exposed and vulnerable to the media. According to a study by a university in Romania in 2023[2], social media is the primary source of information for Generation Z. For instance, they rely on social media for everything from cooking recipes to life advice. They have unlimited access to extensive knowledge, unlike any previous generations. However, this era also deprived them of the virtue of contemplation, the value of tenacity, and the serendipitous self-discovery from trial and error. The blessed accessibility to knowledge combined with a lack of virtue hinders the critical ability to grow as a human. It has become a curse in disguise.
Furthermore, the media makes people undervalue and neglect the process and efforts to achieve success because social media content is inclined to highlight what people want to boast about. People are depicted as making easy money through content by becoming influencers or investing in cryptocurrency. For example, the flex culture prevails in the media and is a facet of this trend that depicts how the media has become materialistic. It misrepresents that there is a shortcut to achieving desired outcomes.
These are indeed confusing times with rapidly changing social norms and an unpredictable future due to technological advancements in AI, political instability, economic turmoil, and the climate crisis. No one can pinpoint the right direction to navigate the uncertainty. However, relying on information from social media is not a remedy either.
I also feel perplexed and confused, but one thing that has helped me manage such uncertainty and insecurity is taking action and proactively making self-adjustments until the optimal results are achieved. Cynefin's framework, which aids a problem-solving process, categorizes situations into five domains: Clear, Complicated, Complex, Chaotic, and Confusion. It suggests three unique steps of problem-solving for each domain. For example, Sense-Categorize-Response is the recommended step in the Clear domain, where everything is known and rules and best practices can govern situations.
However, today could be identified as the stage of Chaos, where cause and effect are unclear, and it is too confusing to wait for a knowledge-based response. In this domain, the decision-making steps start with the Act and are followed by the Sense and Respond. We must focus on action and evaluate its consequences because no standard norms or rules guide us.
According to the framework, we are relying on the wrong approach for the domain we live in. We behave as though there are best practices for Instagram or TikTok that we can follow. We should be more determined to step into the unknown and find our path. While it sounds vague or too clichéd, small, systematic actions can truly make a difference. We can focus on building a system to increase our probabilities. If a success happens one in a thousand, you need to increase the number of trials. You can also learn from the experience and realize how to improve your trial, increasing the probability by a certain percentage. This is systematic thinking that helps you steer your life. Even though it does not guarantee success, at least you can make progress every day. It has always led me to serendipitous encounters.
References:
[1] https://www.gadgets360.com/mobiles/news/microsoft-study-finds-human-attention-span-has-dropped-to-just-8-seconds-693468
About the Author
JW Lee is the Korea Business Development Manager with Flynde, a global company providing translation solutions to businesses of all sizes.
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