I’m 24 and use msn messenger and facebook often. I’m also a staff accountant.

I find that instant messaging is useful when you need to collaborate. When you need to finish a project by yourself though, it can be extremely counterproductive. It really all depends on the type of work you’re doing.

For example, if I’m putting a file together by myself, instant messaging slows me down. On the other hand, if I’m working on an audit with 10 other people, it can be useful.

I agree with Brennan on when-to-IM, and Naumi on how-to-maximize, but I think the key is consciousness. I have problems with people who think it is social hour all the time, not valuing their time or mine. The real question is, how does on meekly convey the gravity of needing your own time to think by yourself, and focus. As this technology becomes more normal over the next 20 years, I believe we will be conscious of how this dynamic plays out. A level of etiquette will need to begin, otherwise we’re always going to be doing poor work or being distracted. I find myself picking work partners based on their IM etiquette. How’s that for a sudden realization on a Monday afternoon.

[...] in the document. It was really cool, and it was really functional. Earlier today, Naumi argued that sometimes synchonous work is overrated, this was not one of those [...]

I’ve always looked at IM as a productivity-killer. When I’m working on a project, the incessant popping up and beeping can throw my focus off to a significant degree. I usually turn everything off so that I can work in peace.

If someone needs a quick response to something, they can still send me an e-mail. As part of my workflow, I check my inbox at specific intervals during the day. If it can’t wait, I suppose they can call me. But I don’t cut people’s hearts open for a living, so how urgent can it be?

And that’s where I think we’ve gone off the rails: We’ve convinced ourselves that instant, always-on access is critical to our well-being. I doubt that, and suspect the cons outweigh the pros by a significant amount. This is clearly a case where the new technology has vastly outstripped the behaviours and other human factors that are affected in the process.

Nicely said. I’d be interested to see where your research paper takes this. Don’t be shy if you need additional perspective.

I think it’s a really interesting research question. People say all sorts of things but it doesn’t always reflect the reality of their actions, hence researching it would be useful. IM is not really relevant for what I do, so similarly doesn’t it depend on what kind of work/projects etc you are doing? I think that it can waste a considerable amount of time but surely it depends on the user. Spoken like a true psychologist, but then you are posing a question about human nature.