Is Communication in a Coma?

What Does This New World of Communication Mean to Our Community?

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Let’s say most of the members of our GPC Community are 45 or older and learned communication principles and practices when freedom of the press was the law of the land and your job or main relationship to the press was organized around industrial-age technologies: Newspapers, magazines, advertising, photojournalism, television, and radio.

When the Internet disrupted the way individuals received and created information the ecosystem of communication went from a complex system that looked like an organizational chart to a flat surface where anyone could access any information and reach anyone 24/7. What was once lengthy if not impossible suddenly changed. Anyone could send an email to the CEO of a company if you could get that email address. Anyone could reach their Congressman or the President within minutes, not weeks. Blogs, platforms, and technology created more “media” than “the press”.

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Modern communication as we knew it for the past 600 years started with the printing press invention and in less than the past 20 years, communication seems to have lost all form, functions, systems, and life support. In other words, communication seems to be in a coma. Or maybe communication already died and left the building and there is something else trying to fill the void and the purpose communication once had. Is it social media? Is it artificial intelligence? What in the world?

Is communication better, worse, in a coma, or no longer connecting humans and their history?

Has the role of communicator shifted from a professional calling to a responsibility carried by all of us, whether or not we have any training or code of ethics to guide us?

It may seem that our stories in this community have emphasized topics of giftedness, neurodiversity, professionalism, and career advancements more than communication. Today we are focusing on the communicator in all of us. Today we speak to the mindset of our community which is always curious, always learning, always striving to connect better, and ready to lead the way into the future of communication.

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What Does This New World of Communication Mean to Our Community?

The purpose of our community is to engage you in the answers and next questions that have a direct impact on who understands you and how well you connect with others.

Here’s what I’ve noticed recently and ask you to come forward in the comments and chat areas of this Substack with your extensive experience or new questions.

A little over a year ago, Ted Gioia, The Honest Broker, said the new medium would triumph over old media in 2024. He points to this evidence:

• Joe Rogan is now more powerful than any establishment journalist.

• Elon Musk drives the news cycle as Twitter CEO in ways Walter Cronkite never dreamed of.

• Cable news can’t match the impact of the biggest YouTube channels and social media accounts.

• Substack has moved out of the fringes of the media world and breaks stories just as the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal once did.

Right after the 2024 election, Gioia provided The 6 New Rules of Communicating.

Here are the new rules of engagement—for politicians, broadcasters, and all aspiring experts, decision-makers, and leaders.

1. You gain more trust when seated, not standing.

2. Don’t speak at people—speak with them.

3. An informal tone is more persuasive now. Even leaders must adjust to this.

4. Conversations have more influence than speeches.

5. Spontaneous communications delivered from a personal standpoint are considered more ‘real’ than a script created by a team or speechwriter.

6. Soundbites and talking points are less impactful than storytelling, humor, and off-the-cuff comments.

If we anchor our conversation in these new rules, we challenge you, our GPC members, to consider how these shifts aren’t just disrupting communication – they’re reshaping what it means to be a great communicator today.

What if we explore:

• The mindset of adaptability – in a world where the platforms, tools, and norms keep changing, how can we as communicators stay nimble without losing authenticity?

• Embracing imperfection – there’s power in being unpolished and human – something Gioia’s piece touches on with new media’s rise. How can communicators lean into this without sacrificing credibility?

• Communicating with intention – with so much noise, the skill isn’t just talking – it’s knowing when to listen, pause, and be deliberate. That’s leadership in communication, no matter your professional label.

If you have a better idea or angle, now would be the time to brainstorm.

There are many professional communicators and published writers in our community and to all of you I say, send me an email and suggest an article or story you’d like to write as a guest author.

When we see facts like this, we smell a good story and I trust you have the writing chops to make it come alive and provide the context and insights that make it interesting. For example, here’s an interesting fact that goes into the conversation here about what we do when communication wakes up from its coma:

The Washington Post lost $100 million last year, and digital visitors dropped from 114 million in November 2023 to 54 million in November 2024—a collapse of 53%. During that same period, many alt-media outlets doubled in size, but the Post’s online readership fell by more than half. Some of the best-known journalists have left. Jennifer Rubin left the Post on January 13 and just ten days later had a stunning 335,000 subscribers on Substack. That’s an extraordinary achievement by any measure—and a useful reminder of why new media is triumphant right now.

You and I are here for thought-provoking conversations. Please click the button below to start a conversation with me. I read and respond to ALL comments.

This is a high-impact topic. Did I miss something important? Is there something else you think I should’ve mentioned? I’d like to hear from you as long as you want to have a constructive conversation.

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