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I wish someone would have shared with me, what I'm about to share with you. I had to figure this out all on my own and it's honestly been a very painful lesson. A few months ago, I read a book called The Conversion Code by Chris Smith. In the book, he talks about a rule he calls 37/57/6 that he learned from billionaire Dan Gilbert.
The rule essentially states that 37 percent of communication is tonality; 57 percent is body language and only 6 percent is the actual words. This makes sense when you think about words like "bad" that can mean both good and bad depending on tonality and how you carry yourself. Matter of fact, as we evolve more as humans, our language becomes more vague causing us to rely on body language and tonality more than actual words.
This communication rule explains why there's so much confusion, defensiveness and arguing on social media.
When someone types a post or a comment on social media, all we see are the words, which equates to only perceiving 6 percent of what they actually say. It's almost impossible to detect whether the person is being sarcastic or simply rude. Without tonality and body language, we are left to puzzle it out. Unless you really know the person, you can't accurately guess. This causes a lot of issues and arguing on social media.
This rule also explains why folks like Tai Lopez, Grant Cardone and Gary Vee have seen serious success online. They mostly skip the text posts and go right to video where there's no mistaking their tonality or body language. They have flooded the market with videos of themselves to get their audience to understand how they communicate and not leave it up to only 6 percent of deciphering like most people on social media.
We hear how we speak. And what I mean by that is when you read someone else's post, you read it as if you wrote it. If you're rude, mean or argumentative, you will read other's post from the same tone, even if that wasn't their intention. Look, we've all done it. It's nothing to be ashamed of. But now that you've read this, you have an opportunity to stop the madness.
Most arguments on social media stem from a misunderstanding and a misunderstanding is simply missed communication because we are relying on only 6 percent of our perception. Could you imagine living life using only 6 percent of your capacity to learn? Well, that's what most of us rely on for social media. No wonder everyone is fighting.
This is why you shouldn't jump to conclusions on social media.
Chances are, the person you're about to roast meant something totally different than what you're thinking they meant. In general, people are pretty cool, but if you bring drama to them they will bring it back. Most online drama comes from a lack of understanding.
How many times have you seen people argue in the comments on a post only to later on say they misunderstood or didn't get that the person they’d snapped at was cracking a joke and weren’t serious? I see it multiple times a day. Social media has caused mass confusion and disrupted our communications.
The next time you read a tweet or a Facebook post, don't automatically assume the person posting is being rude. Chances are, they don’t write that well, and at best you can only determine about 6 percent of what's being said with average-at-best writing.
We live in a time where we need to pull together.
Everyone is confused, mad and ready to rumble at any minute. We are a mess religiously, politically, racially and nationally. Until we evolve to better understand words themselves, we must focus on fighting less by not jumping to conclusions on social media.
It all boils down to one sentence: "Think before you type." Chances are, whatever you're thinking is not the same as the person who is posting. So, before you assume, think. We need to globally unite not globally fight. Next time you read a post on social media you don't agree with, ask yourself why. Don't just jump to conclusions. How you act on social media says a lot about who you are. Don't ruin your character with impulsive reactions.