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Virtual Integrity
There were statistically significant negative relationships between
time spent online and time spent with family, with friends, and
with work colleagues. Meanwhile, the amount of time being alone
significantly increased. . . . Home Internet use came directly out
of interaction with family members while work Internet use was
compensated by reduction in the amount of time spent face-to-face
with co-workers. In addition, time spent using the Internet at both
places concomitantly increased time alone, further substantiating
that “Internet use, more than any other activity, isolates people from
simultaneous active engagement with others.”23
If you think this cultural trend will abate any time soon, think
again. The already pervasive cell phone is gradually being upgraded
to become a universal communication device that will become
even more integrated into our lives and provide increasing (and
seemingly essential) advice, commerce, entertainment, and virtual
access.
While it is definitely true that e-mail, instant messaging, and social
networking sites like Facebook can help facilitate communication
among friends and work colleagues, I am constantly amazed by the
miscommunication that can happen with technology as well. E-mail
wars with coworkers sitting in the next cube, inappropriate IM com
ments to/from my daughter’s high-school friends (that would never
happen in person), and the exponential spread of hurtful gossip
are just a few of the potential negative consequences.
Some technology companies, like IMlogic, recognize this danger
and take steps to help.
The company provides all the corporate trappings you would ex
pect from a high-tech firm: good salary, bonuses, option grants,
three weeks’ vacation time, full benefits and a strong corporate
culture. It also hands out BlackBerrys, laptops and cell phones to
employees. ShelleyKolesar, IMlogic human resources manager, said
it makes workers more flexible and allows them to use their time
more productively.
But Kolesar and IMlogic executives also stress the importance of
disconnecting, with policies designed to help employees unplug and
unwind, such as quarterly company events away from the office.24
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