Welcome back to The Tamnation Gilsey Podcast. I’m James Mitchell, and today we’re wading into the digital noise—really, the full-on cacophony—of social media. Now, I know “cacophony” is a word that gets tossed around, but it’s honestly the best way to describe what’s happening on these platforms. There’s just this overwhelming flood of voices, opinions, memes, ads, and, well, let’s be honest, a lot of nonsense. It’s like walking into a stadium where everyone’s shouting at once, and you’re supposed to make sense of it all.I mean, think about your own digital life for a second. How many times have you opened up Twitter or TikTok or whatever your platform of choice is, and just felt... exhausted? There’s so much coming at you, it’s hard to know what’s worth your attention. And it’s not just a feeling—there’s research backing this up. There was this study on Twitch chat logs, which, if you’ve ever watched a big livestream, you know how wild those chats can get. The researchers found that as the number of messages goes up, actual participation drops. People stop trying to have real conversations, and the messages that do get through are repetitive, or just kind of empty. It’s like the more people talk, the less anyone actually says.So, what does that mean for how we communicate? Are we just shouting into the void? I think about my own feeds—sometimes I’ll scroll for ten minutes and realize I haven’t actually absorbed anything. It’s all just noise. And I’m not immune to it, even after decades in journalism. I guess the question is, how do we find meaning in all this? Or, maybe, is it even possible to have meaningful conversations when there’s just so much... stuff? I don’t have a perfect answer, but it’s something I keep coming back to, especially as the platforms keep getting louder.Now, if the sheer volume wasn’t enough, there’s another layer to this: the way social media sorts and filters what we see. I’m talking about echo chambers and filter bubbles. These aren’t just buzzwords—there’s a real mechanism behind them. The algorithms that run our feeds are designed to keep us engaged, and the easiest way to do that is to show us things we already agree with. It’s comfortable, right? But it’s also a little dangerous.I remember covering early online forums—this was back in the days when you’d have these sprawling debates, people from all walks of life chiming in. Sure, it got heated, but there was a sense that you could stumble into a new perspective. Fast forward to now, and it feels like those open debates have been replaced by these tight little ideological silos. You see the same opinions, the same memes, over and over. And the more you engage, the more the algorithm feeds you of the same. It’s like being in a room with mirrors instead of windows.The impact goes beyond just annoyance. There’s evidence that these echo chambers are fueling polarization and even extremism. People get more entrenched in their views, less willing to listen to anyone outside their bubble. And it’s not just individuals—institutions are feeling the heat too. Trust in media, in government, in pretty much any authority, is eroding. Social media was supposed to democratize information, but sometimes it feels like it’s just fragmenting us further. I might be overstating it, but I don’t think I am. We talked about something similar in our episode on AI and the new scripture—how technology can both connect and divide us, depending on how it’s used.So, where was I going with this? Oh, right—the algorithms. They’re not evil, but they’re not neutral either. They’re designed for engagement, not enlightenment. And that’s a big part of why we end up in these echo chambers, hearing the same things, getting angrier, and trusting less. It’s a tough cycle to break.Let’s shift gears a bit and talk about what all this means for brands, businesses, and honestly, anyone trying to get a message out there. In this digital landscape, there’s what some folks call a “volume war.” Everyone’s cranking out more content, more ads, more everything, just to get noticed. But here’s the kicker—more isn’t always better. In fact, it’s usually just more noise.I’ve seen brands pour money into social media, thinking if they just post enough, something will stick. But the reality is, audiences are tuning out. There’s just too much to process. The brands that are actually breaking through are the ones that have shifted from quantity to quality. They’re distilling their stories down to the essentials—clear, concise, and, most importantly, authentic. I read about a few companies that stopped trying to be everywhere at once and instead focused on telling one really good story at a time. And you know what? It worked. People paid attention, because it felt real.So, what makes a message resonate in a crowded space? I think it comes down to clarity and connection. If you can cut through the noise with something that actually matters to people, they’ll listen. It’s not about shouting louder, it’s about saying something worth hearing. And that’s true for brands, but also for individuals. We all have a role in shaping the conversation, even if it’s just with our own small circle.I guess the challenge—and the opportunity—is to find ways to promote meaningful communication, not just more communication. It’s a theme we’ve circled back to in a lot of our episodes, whether we’re talking about craftsmanship, faith, or technology. The tools keep changing, but the need for real connection doesn’t. That’s where I’ll leave it for today. Thanks for listening, and we’ll keep digging into these questions in future episodes. Stay curious, and try to find a little signal in all that noise.

Episodes

Noise and Nuance in the Social Media Age