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Small-Scale Question Sunday for May 31, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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In your experience what percentage of "[more/better] communication" as a diagnosis or remedy in a social context is an effective or appropriate one? I think it's uncommon these days.

  • Perceived or real problem occurs
  • Something Must Be Done
  • That something, it is decided by problem seers, problem makers, or decision makers must be more communication. If we communicated more we'd be able to avoid perceived or real problems such as this.

One common example of this phenomena goes something like above. If you're still not picking up what I'm laying down consider the following:

  • The powers that be fuck up, or an individual does, and the people below them are impacted and/or angry. An unstated social negotiation occurs where the people either realize there was a failure in communication, or they are manipulated into accepting more communication as a fix from the powers that be.

"Bob, next time we will communicate fuck ups changes to you in advance which will prevent these types of future fuck ups problems that impact you."*

  • Game developer/Coca-Cola releases unpopular patch/drink, gamers/consumers riot, demands are put forth, reversals are made, and the developer/Coca-Cola issues a press release agreeing that more communication should have been done.

More Communication the platitude, tool, and HR seminar is a lie. In contexts where More Communication is a social lubricant, language to demand conciliatory notions or more respect from the powers that be, why can't we just ask for that? Who decided we should wrap "communication" into such things? Stakes vary between context, but the mechanics of communication are important. Most people are shit at communicating, and even those who hold an unusually innovative communication super power are still shit at communicating with someone competent. We shouldn't be muddying that precise failure up with population level memes.

"Shut the hell up, Bob. We can circle back to this fuck up problem until the cows come home, but are you really going to disagree with moving forward with More Communication?"

Napoleon didn't deploy the More Communication meme after the Battle of Aspern-Essling, did he? Maybe he did. Even so, I maintain that More Communication is too overloaded and watered down. A meme that can mean an apology is in order, the radio failed and no one sent a runner, management sucks, or no one is going to be holding the bag for the latest fuck up-- this must be a warcrime against autists. Whoever made the Communications B.A. what it is has a lot to answer for at the Hague.

I work with a lot of process engineers and technical program managers. In many ways they are interpreters between the the computer touchers and the MBAs, lawyers, accountants etc. Also work in documentation for customer facing products and services. Poor communication causes the majority of the problems I'm encountering at work right now. Our comms team seemed like one of the most obvious places to replace people with AI. We aren't entirely sure how to do that yet, but they've already fired the people in anticipation. In the meantime software updates continue to roll out on time with zero communication to the users and no mechanism for feedback or problem reporting. In my experience many of our software developers and other tech ICs are more than happy to work hard and long on important projects, but they will have 0 communication with anyone outside their team: exectutives, HR, legal, customers, end users etc. if they can get away with it. They'll document but are generally terrible at writing for any audience other than fellow developers. I think "more communication" as a phrase is almost meaningless though. Its too vague. The volume of communications is not a slider or dial where turning it to the right makes things better. Good comms are clear, timely, digestable to their audience, and surfaced with a forcefulness related to their importance, ie critical comms should be almost impossible for the intended audience to miss.