The. Universal. Translator

One cannot not communicate. Paul Watzlawick published this axiom in 1969 in his book Pragmatics of Human Communication: A Study of Interactional Patterns, Pathologies, and Paradoxes. Much has changed in the world since then. Man kann nicht nicht kommunizieren. Dieses Axiom publizierte Paul Watzlawick 1969 in seinem Werk Menschliche Kommunikation: Formen, Störungen, Paradoxien. Seitdem hat sich in der Welt viel geändert.

The oil crisis and the anti-nuclear movement. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Big Tech. The establishment of the EU and the 9/11 catastrophe. The end of apartheid and the first cloned sheep. The rise (and fall) of the compact disk and the popularity of reality shows and boy bands. The wars in Iraq and Ukraine. The financial crisis and climate change. The first smartphone and the Arab Spring. National trends and new media. Hydrogen-powered vehicles and social media influencers. Generations X, Y, Z and Alpha. These are just some of the changes and developments of recent years.

Much has changed in this period. But much hasn’t either. Watzlawick’s axiom “one cannot not communicate” is as relevant as ever. Communication is everything in our world.

Whether silently staring into your phone on a family outing, or smiling at a fellow passenger on the tram. Chatting breathlessly with a friend while jogging, or eating your dinner during a video call with the camera switched off. Surfing the dark web, or having a digital detox. Asking artificial intelligence to write a poem, or writing a postcard to your grandma.

Communication lies at the heart of anything and everything we do as humans, as explained by the Austrian communication scientist, philosopher and psychotherapist Paul Watzlawick (1921–2007): “One cannot not communicate: Every behaviour is a form of communication. Because behaviour does not have a counterpart (there is no antibehaviour), it is impossible not to communicate.” 

In the same year that Watzlawick composed his five axioms¹, the first human walked on the Moon, life was wildly celebrated at Woodstock, Michael Schumacher was born, and the first message was sent from one computer to another one far away, marking the birth of the internet. 

Humans will always be humans. We use the tools that are available to us, which in turn causes us to change our behaviour. New forms of communication emerge. In the past, people got their news from court jesters, from horse-mounted messengers and from the latest headlines in the daily newspaper. And it is not that long ago that people were awestruck by the first telephone, which – almost like magic – let them talk to people in other households. Today, children don’t even know what a landline telephone looks like, let alone how to use one. Instead, they educate their parents about video calls and gaming, or tell them what words like cringe and smash² mean.

This is evolution. Whether good or bad is not for us to say. 

Artificial, digital intelligence is increasingly helping us to think and carry out tasks. And just as these technologies are evolving, so is the way in which we interact with them. Initially, there is surprise and amazement. Then comes enthusiasm, accompanied by a feeling of being overwhelmed. Finally, thanks to years of learning and conscious knowledge acquisition, we tame and harness the new technology to meet our needs. Due to the rapid growth and expansion of digital communication, this process is happening much faster than it did around 100 years ago, when, in London in 1926, the Scottish inventor John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of moving silhouette images by television. Back then, humanity was focused on a single new tool for acquiring and disseminating information – the TV – which brought the world into people’s living rooms. 

These days, everyone moves within their own tailor-made information universe. They can essentially bring many worlds into their immediate environment. This universe is created by the individual’s use and consumption of a highly personalised mix of randomly available, consciously chosen or purposefully controlled information channels, both online and offline. These range from billboards beside motorways and small talk at evening events, to gossip over coffee with your best friend, the daily morning radio show, newsfeeds on social media channels, and search engine results on the internet. The benefit of having a multitude of information sources is that you can find things which align with your own interests and learn more about things you are interested in. In a pluralistic society, the challenge lies in preserving a shared universe of information that people accept and agree upon, so that transformation can be achieved through cooperation and collaboration.

Around the turn of the millennium, a professor at the University of Vienna’s Department of Communication suggested – somewhat tongue-in-cheek – that humans have only one common information channel they can rely on when communicating with others: the weather that they see when looking out of the window. Today, weather aside, it is not quite as easy to find common ground between two or more information universes. You need a bit of luck. Or you can make your own luck with discussion and debate. But if this isn’t possible, communication can take on more negative forms, ranging from conflict to complete silence, especially in universes that are light-years apart. This field of tension must be fully understood by any being capable of holistic thinking – which, on this planet, only we humans can do – when they interact with their environment and connect their own worlds with those of others.

In this context, it is essential and vital to have an open and inquisitive perspective that extends beyond your own communication bubble. The ability to change your preferred news and information channels and interpret the content in different contexts without judgement. The willingness to accept opposing points of view and to substantiate your own opinions with sound arguments. The foresight to demand a holistic culture of dialogue and conflict resolution, as well as encouraging critical evaluation of sources on the basis on facts and evidence. The patience for sustained attention, intellectual development and lasting impact. And this far beyond any artificial or natural borders, whether cultural, national, spiritual, digital, economic, political, societal or temporal. 

In future, the primary mode of communication will continue to be the one that has dominated for as long as humans have existed: face-to-face communication. Direct, personal contact stimulates all of the senses. It facilitates spontaneous, authentic and intuitive interaction. And it is intuition in particular that makes it fit for the future. 

This claim is supported by HR professionals at large German corporations, who have been pushing the benefits of video interviews in recent years, as well as by Scandinavian education experts, who have been using digitally assisted teaching methods for decades now. It is supported by sales professionals, who train their junior staff to read the expressions of customers, as well as by IT experts exploring ways to address social isolation. 

Humans are social beings. We need direct contact with others. Body language constitutes as much as 80 percent of how we communicate. Only 20 percent of information is conveyed through verbal articulation. 

It is therefore hardly surprising that individuals who can switch effortlessly between different communication worlds and translate content for those who can’t keep up, all while maintaining a neutral and tolerant attitude, will have an edge in the future. They understand the complex and dynamic nature of the world, embrace it, and know how to shape it. They interact effortlessly with their environment as equals and have the ability to initiate change. These translators between different worlds fully understand Watzlawick’s axiom “one cannot not communicate”. They are the people we should – and must – listen to in the future. Will it be easy? Not for everyone, that’s for sure. But it will certainly be exciting.