Why brevity? We live in a liquid world with few words. The thousands of impacts we're subjected to every day force us to focus on what we think "really matters". The economy of care is set in our lives.
The question is is that positive?
Ethis is the sixth of the trends I targeted a few days ago in the post Trends 2020 in Personal Branding.
- The first: The drive of social awareness and personal branding
- The second: When facts are imposed on the sayings
- The third: From influencers to influencers (substantial change)
- The fourth: Don't think (Only) Google, think about your customers
- The fifth: Don't let technology step on you, use it in your favor
If you're short on time, I invite you to watch this video-summary of a minute:
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Briefness and economy of care
I did a quick reading course and read "War and Peace in 20 minutes". It's about Russia (Woody Allen)
If a time traveler were to land now in a big city, you'd be surprised to see thousands of engrossed people staring at a contraption in their hands. The king of attention is called a smartphone, and has managed to get us to dedicate to him on average three hours a day of the sixteen that we are awake.
As a BBC News article, we check the smartphone some 150 times a day. Apple says we unlock iPhone some 80 Times. And if it's an Android, the number increases to 110.
The same article notes that "the explosion of social media has made it possible for us to know in real time what people do at all times". The 21st I follow's disorder is FOMO, acronyms for Fear Of Missing Out (fear of missing something).
Brevity joins the speed, a cocktail that turns us into zombies
A few months ago I was able to see writer and consultant Carl Honoré at a TEDxEixample event, author of "Praise of Slowness". I recommend this book to recover flavors, Words, sensations and why not, an equally effective but somewhat more contemplative life.
We strive to make things faster to be more efficient, but we pay a very high price for submitting to a dizzying and uncontrolled pace of life. Carl Honoré.
The importance of context
One of the problems I associate with this explosive mixture of brevity and speed is the loss of context, and therefore, of the real meaning of some complex concepts.
Not many weeks ago, Cristina Aced reminded us of the importance of the context in an unfortunate Hawkers brand campaign for Halloween. In that campaign, Cristina received an SMS message from a guy named Vlad with the text "two nights ago I was following you". In a context of herds and raped women, the message could be anything but fortunate.
Whether for lack of context (Brevity) or because of design errors (Hawkers), communication fails.
Recovering sensations
I know, depth doesn't epata, but gives results drop by drop continuously. Let's choose our format. And let's keep in mind that long content, although it may not give short-term results, can bring more value than an inspiring phrase or an ephemeral genius.
Let's not be in such a hurry. Good stew takes time. And even a niguiri perfect salmon requires the experience of a "sushi" master who has needed a year to select the best raw material, another year to cut it and another year to prepare it. Sometimes, the tip of the iceberg looks like the whole, and we don't see what's underneath.
I don't know whether to raise it as a personal vindication or trend, but get those long poems back, those songs that tell stories, those books that help you understand how we work, must be back on the table.
Cover image: Sad World Video | Phone Addiction | Mad World. Le Tismey. Youtube
Convinced that everything leaves a mark, I help companies better connect with their stakeholders through personal branding programs (personal brand management) and employee advocacy (programs of branded internal ambassadors).
Socio of Soymimarca's Integra Personal Branding, Brand Directory of Omnia Branding, I also collaborate with Ponte en Valor, Brandergizers, MoreThanLaw, Noema Consulting and Quifer Consultores.
I participate in various programs at IESE, ISDI and EAE, among others. Collegiate advertising, Master in Marketing. Humanities Degree Student.
My advertising DNA comes from 20 years in agencies: Time/BBDO, J.W.T., Bassat Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Altraforma and TVLowCost among others.
..fully aligned with the idea you express.
A hug!
D.
Thank you David, I think I suspected it.. We'll have to read again “War and Peace” in quiet version. ;-)