At the Intersection of Communication and Humanity
How to be a Considerate Communicator
By Ray Newal, Managing Director of Techstars Bangalore Accelerator
The Metaphor of the Traffic Light
On a recent bike ride, while passing through a four-way intersection, a thought occurred to me regarding the role of contracts and signaling systems in interdependent situations. Without traffic lights, speed limits, and a contract between drivers to obey the traffic laws, cars would crash into each other a lot more than they do. Bike riders like myself would never stand a chance. The combination of signalling systems and contracts allow us to bring order to chaos. In the case of traffic, these systems help us get from point A to point B in one piece.
But what happens when the signals and associated contracts are no longer relevant to our behaviors, or can’t keep pace with the magnitude of interdependencies? Technology has a way of impacting human behaviors and sometimes making them obsolete. When behaviors change, we need new ways to manage them. Prior to traffic signals, cars and carriages were sufficiently sparse and slow enough to allow the driver (or rider) to visually assess the situation at an intersection and act accordingly. As cars became cheaper and faster, and roads became more highly trafficked, the visual approach stopped working, leading to the advent of traffic signals and road signs.
While communications started out as a simple interdependency, it too has become increasingly complex.
Originally published at www.techstars.com on January 29, 2019.
