Are you suffering from message overload?

I think all of us are grateful for the amazing advances in communication technology. Not a one of us wants to go back to the days when switchboard operators routed calls by manually plugging stretchy phone plugs into a bank of jacks in front of them. But our many layers of technology come at a cost, and that is I don’t think most people can stay on top of all modes of communication.

These days you can expect to receive messages requesting a response in the following formats:

• Snail mail
• Telephone call (land line)
• Cell phone call
• Voicemail or answering machine
• E-mail
• Text message
• Facebook or other social media

I can’t manage all those formats. Something snapped in my brain one night a couple years ago when I came home at 10:30 p.m. from a church meeting and my answering machine was blinking “14,” “14,” “14.” I answered all those calls the next day, but then I unplugged the machine, wrapped the cords gently around it, and put it into storage.

I have a theory that people who wish to live a semblance of a normal life with a job, family, and friends can stay on top of only two data streams. You pick which two. My kids have already made their choices—Carol and I can get a response out of them in only two ways: texting and Facebook. I am slowly falling behind even in my two chosen modes. If you are one of the people waiting to hear from me, sorry.

Am I going crazy or have you also picked two data streams?