The Danger of Being Too Connected

Monday, 09. 14. 2009  –  Category: Dial611

As a society, we are more connected than we have ever been. With social networking platforms like Twitter and Facebook reaching millions of Americans, we have instant access to data. Soon, as I discussed in my previous article, that access will be mobile—making us experts anywhere, anytime. But is all of this connectivity worthwhile?  Do we really need to know each piece of breaking news as it happens?

More importantly, what are we trading away for this instant access?

Deteriorating Interpersonal Communication: Let’s face it–when faced with talking with someone or sending them a message (whether via text, tweets, postings or e-mail), we increasingly choose the latter. And while we like to rationalize that it is out of politeness so as to not intrude, the result is that we lose that personal connection that socially distances ourselves from one another.

Additionally, we miss out on non-verbal and vocal communication nuances which researcher Albert Mehrabian showed account for nearly 93% of total meaning. That’s right—the words we type are only 7% of the message! When words are the only part of the message, the rest is left to assumption by the readers. As we know, assumptions are never good.

Loss of Manners: I call them “prairie dog meetings,” and I’m sure you’ve been a part of them. While someone presents the agenda for the day, most of the other attendees have their heads down in their laptop or smartphone. Their heads “pop” at the call of their name, a change in the speaker’s inflection or a lack of incoming e-mails.

As real-time data continues to interrupt meetings and conversations, a shift in manners and expectations is taking place in business and homes. What once were obvious faux pas (taking a phone call in a meeting, talking loudly on your phone, etc) now are nearly social norms. Rules and laws now have to be enforced to maintain a line of respect and safety.

Blurring the Personal/Professional Line: As we become more connected to one another, so too do our business and personal lives. Devices like smartphones make us available to co-workers in the office, on the sofa and anywhere in between. But does our deep investment in our work translate to better results? Maybe not.  A recent study by Mercer indicated that while Americans take less time off than workers in other countries, we also don’t tend to stay as productive. I imagine there are many reasons for that, but I suspect there are two main culprits:

No Down Time: Our bodies, whether we like it or not, need a break every once in a while. After we have extended ourselves long enough, we run out of energy. Our brains don’t function as quickly, and we are not able to make connections as quickly. As a result, our decision making slows and our ability to think critically (and creatively) is severely weakened.

But it’s not just our brains that need the break. Backs, wrists and eyes are all becoming prime injury targets for office dwellers. And as devices get smaller, the possibility of these injuries creeping up on us increase exponentially.

No Polished Thoughts: Back before computers and portable devices, the typed word was a laborious process. If you made a mistake, it required a full reprint of a page. Today, it is incredibly easy to type up your thoughts and publish them for all to see. However, this ability has translated often into requirement to do so. Rather than collecting our ideas and thinking through our thought process, we tend to fire everything out as it rolls out of our head. The result? Our communication turns into a running ticker of thoughts, some of which are better left unsaid.

Read Part III: Needing Credible Sources in the New Data World

Read Part I: What Happens When All Data is Mobile

David Fleming works for CornerWorld Corporation, parent company of Dial611.

Tags: cell phone, communication, David Fleming, digital, e-mail, Facebook, internet, manners, mobile phone, smartphone, Twitter