Twitter is Killing Workforce’s Productivity (Not an Anti-Twitter Piece)

Two statements before you worry this is some stupid generic tirade against Twitter:

1. This is not going to be about people spending time on Twitter when they should be working and is rather a mere observation.
2. This is completely based on a theory based on no research nor evidence.

For as long as companies have been giving employees paid vacation time, summer has been a popular time to use said paid vacation. If you work at a company with 10 or more employees, you know it’s rare to have everyone in the office throughout the summer due to the many exciting vacations.

In the past, your perception of these vacations was sane (told in the present tense to throw everyone off): you work at a company with nine other people, and they’re taking vacations, but soon it will be your turn. All is well. Your productivity soars with the excitement of knowing you’re saving the company by picking up someone’s slack, and you’re doing so in a relaxed state, knowing your time will come to get paid to have fun.

This same scenario was happening at every company, but you only knew about your own. What a fun, productive professional life you led.

Now, thanks to Twitter, no one wants to work. Ever. Because of the instant access to people at every company in existence, your little world of 10 employees is now a little world of billions of employees. And while it may not have been allowed for two people from your little company to vacation at the same time, it is allowed for you and an employee of another company to vacation at the same time. So, even though those same nine friendly faces you see every day are on the same routine, billions of faces around the world are collecting airline miles and hotel points.

Every week, day and possibly hour, depending on the number of people you follow and the level of desire possessed by those leaders to have their whereabouts known at all times, you’re hearing about someone taking vacation.

It makes you feel like you’re on (or should be) vacation all the time. You never think about work. Your brain is full of jealousy and resentment of all the people who are taking vacations without you. And, even though they’re not taking more vacations than they used to, you’re aware of more people taking their normal vacations. Thus, you think everyone is always on vacation.

And you’re right. Twitter is killing the workforce.