Summary: When faced with vague, unusable, or outright technical error messages like a JSON output stating an “insufficient account balance,” there’s a bigger conversation most professionals overlook: what exactly qualifies as “data with a story,” and when should we stop trying to rewrite code responses as human narratives? In this breakdown, we’ll dissect what this kind of message really means, why you shouldn’t treat raw system outputs as narrative fodder, and how marketers, analysts, and technical professionals can better categorize and respond to machine-generated communication.
Understanding Machine Responses: Not Every Output Is a Story
Let’s face the truth head-on—most people confuse data with story. A JSON response is data, yes. But is it a story? No. Especially when the data in question says something like:
{
"error": "Insufficient balance. Please recharge your account to proceed."
}
There’s no character arc, no build-up, no conflict besides a financial one, and certainly no resolution offered in a way a human can experience emotionally. It’s not a story. It’s a stop sign.
And treating it like something to be rewritten as a parable, case study, or customer-facing narrative is a misstep rooted in one thing: misunderstanding the nature and purpose of system-generated data structures. What made you think this response needed rewriting in the first place? What outcome were you hoping for?
Why Rewriting Error Messages Misses the Point
If someone comes across this JSON string and says “Rewrite this,” they’re likely misunderstanding their role as an interpreter vs. a developer. Error messages like these serve one function: technical feedback. They are system-triggered responses to an operational failure—in this case, insufficient credits to execute a function.
Such messages don’t need to be humanized. In fact, smoothing them over into prose might remove the very urgency they are supposed to convey. It’s like sugar-coating a fire alarm—it turns a necessary disruption into background noise. And who benefits from a quiet fire alarm?
Calling a JSON Response a “Text” Is Category Error
When someone says “Please extract the story from this response,” and gives you a JSON error string, they’re asking a question that has no logical answer. JSON is structured, semantic data meant to be parsed by machines. It is intentionally not a story, not even meant for direct human consumption.
This is where you can apply Chris Voss’s mirroring tactic from negotiation—repeat the confusion to understand it. “You’re saying this error message is a story?” That pause prompts self-reflection. From there, it opens the door to better categorize intent. Are we debugging? Translating? Writing documentation? Or just caught in a misunderstanding of language and function?
What To Do Instead: Clarify the Objective
Before trying to translate system feedback into freeform narrative, ask these simple but powerful questions:
- “What decision are you trying to make with this data?”
- “Who is the audience for this message?”
- “Is this about user communication, or system behavior?”
Often, we’re not trying to rewrite—we’re trying to make sense of what a system is telling us. But the temptation to always reframe raw text into marketing-speak can backfire. If your account balance is low, that’s not a metaphor—it’s a constraint. And the right move isn’t storytelling. It’s recharging the account or alerting someone with the authority to do so.
Use the Message, Don’t Romanticize It
A JSON string like this isn’t art. It’s a tripwire. It’s useful, but only if the person seeing it recognizes its function. Trying to dress it up strips it of its exactness. That’s dangerous when dealing with systems that require binary decision-making (can we run the query—yes or no?)
Instead of rewriting, acknowledge what this message actually does: it confirms a condition (you can’t proceed), justifies a system’s refusal (you’re out of balance), and recommends a next step (recharge). That’s useful. What would romanticizing it add? Would it encourage clarity—or confusion?
The Real Takeaway for Technologists and Marketers
Here’s the part professionals need to absorb deep in the bones: not all content deserves transformation. Some types of output are best left raw. In fact, stripping the complexity can result in dangerous misinterpretations (think automated financial triggers, medical diagnostics, or compliance software).
Your job, whether you’re a marketer, analyst, or consultant, is to respect category boundaries. JSON responses—especially error messages—belong in the technical layer. If you need to turn them into something digestible, fine, but know you’re doing a translation, not crafting a story arc.
The smarter play? Confirm the technical constraint, escalate it appropriately, and reserve storytelling techniques for when the material supports dimension, tension, and resolution.
Summary in One Sentence
If you’re trying to extract a story from a JSON error message, you’re mistaking machine-to-machine communication for human narration—use precision, not poetry.
#DataLiteracy #TechMarketing #JSONErrors #StopStorytellingEverything #Programming101 #TechnicalCommunication
Featured Image courtesy of Unsplash and Toby Hall (3x1xHaKK1vs)
