Most of us have encountered people around us, friends, family or colleagues, who aren't the best of listeners.As the world gets more and more connected and complicated, listening is turning out to be a neglected aspect of communications. Whether it's the news on TV, where authentic talk hardly exists, or how a conversation is portrayed in movies, people don't see other people listening to something quietly and actively.

No One Listens Anymore

This rule states that only a small section of users (around 1%) in any given platform (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and many others) post any content actively. 9% are occasional contributors, and the rest 90% of them are a silent majority only looking at content that is posted by others.

The 1% Rule

Most people have gotten used to others not listening to what they want to say, so they have stopped demanding others to listen.Most of the talk doesn't go beyond the usual jokes and social niceties, as deeply personal talk is now being considered as a burden on others.

Avoiding Authentic Dialogue

Due to an increase in distractions, listening now takes a lot more effort than before.The ability to listen carefully diminishes if one is not using it often, so it is imperative that we practice this lost skill more.

Listening is Hard

The Political landscapes across the globe were proving drastically wrong forecasts, with improbably wrong polling data.The mainstream media, which is relying on social media for most of the data, was misleading because of it, and the political forecasters were not listening to what needed to be listened to.

The 2016 Debacle

By deriving polling data from social media and quoting trending soundbites from Twitter and Facebook, real voices that may not be trending and of any interest to politicians, lobbyists, activists or business interests are losing ground.

Data-Driven Approach Backfires

It is getting awkward for some to talk face to face, and email or text conversations seem more efficient and lead to better screening.Sitting with a person face to face, without disturbance and listening to what is being said is now almost a lost art.

Face to Face 

Fake accounts and bots are repeating the narrative across the internet to shape the perception as per need.Politicians and Pop Celebs have millions of fake followers and bots to derive likes and trend their posts, setting the stage for what is to be paid attention to.

Millions of Bot Fans

Bad listeners are not necessarily bad people. You likely have a dear friend, family member, or maybe a romantic partner who is a terrible listener. Perhaps you, yourself, are not the best listener. And you could be forgiven since, in many ways, you've been conditioned not to listen.