Sick of Slack

Have no fear, this isn’t another thought-piece on Slack’s new brand. Oh no, this is far worse… It’s a rambling list of issues I have with real-time office chat!

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I’m sick of Slack.

I’m sick of the always-on mentality it promotes.

I’m sick of the expectation that a), it’ll always be open, and b), you’ll respond immediately.

I’m sick of the rolling and constant virtual noise it creates.

I’m sick of the FOMO that comes from keeping it closed, and the time wasted catching up next time you log in.

I’m sick of the GIFs that just keep looping till you hit that tiny triangle.

I’m sick of the ‘Someone is typing’, so I won’t type etiquette. Like all conversation, the loudest win, the shy hold back.

I’m sick of seeing ‘Several people are typing’ and the stress it causes while you brace for the wave of comments to hit the shore.

I’m sick of that silly red dot; that constant reminder that you’re not up to date and things are happening that you should be aware of.

I’m sick of constantly looking down at the taskbar to see if another dot has appeared.

I’m sick of multi-stranded conversations getting lost in the noise.

I’m sick that it’s yet another focus intrusion to take me away from actual work.

I’m sick that it’s yet another context to switch to.

I’m sick of the notifications that jump centre stage on your screen.

I’m sick of not talking through things face to face. Heck, I’m a shy introvert, but even I miss having an actual conversation.

I’m sick of residing in another echo chamber.

I’m sick of the strapline lie, “Where work happens”.

I’m sick of the way I use Slack, as much as I’m sick of Slack.

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Slack is a wonderful piece of technology, but real-time communication has some major flaws.

Many, if not most of these qualms can be toned down with rigorous changes to Slack settings. But if this is the baseline; and most users don’t delve into their settings, how many are suffering from bad defaults?

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But trust me on the sunscreen.