Electronic communication across the airways in one form or another is inundating our lives 24 by 7. How is everyone coping with the onslaught. Here is a poem recently read on ABC Radio in Canberra.
Inundation
(Terms & Conditions Apply)
At dawn I woke … well, not by choice,
but to my phone’s persistent voice:
a buzz, a ping, a cheerful chime
informing me it’s “screen-time time.”
“Your steps are slow.” “Your sleep was poor.”
(Yes, thank you, I had guessed that score.)
“energy low.” “be sure to rest.”
my watch tells me I’m not the best.
Three emails marked “just circling back,”
two family chats, she’s gone off track
the granddaughter won’t take advice
accept behaviour, and “be nice.”
An ad appeared (how did it know?)
for shoes I searched three weeks ago.
Then slippers, shirts and hats instead,
my thoughts are sponsored in my head.
“Flash sale ends in minutes, act!”
(a most suspicious kind of fact)
“Upgrade your life!” “Improve your skin!”
I can’t recall what state I’m in.
I fled outside, no battery need
just trees and sky and space to breathe …
but after a peaceful hour or so …
I felt detached from the daily flow.
No buzzing praise, no gentle shove,
no algorithmic kind of love;
no one to tell me what to buy …
or count my steps or optimise.
So here I sit, in quiet doubt,
half wanting in, half opting out;
for peace is nice … but, truth be told,
it doesn’t buzz … or take control.
And so I say, (with a get real grin)
accept the world you’re living in!
Footnote
I said a hi to AI
and asked AI to have a say.
In a blink
it’s up to you, and what you think!
Richard Scutter Sept 2026
Thank you for including me in your electronic life!
