PR Start by Nick Lucido
The Cons of a Constant Stream
I like social media. I keep on top of digital trends and like to play with new tools. I’m even a big fan of things in “real time” and sometimes let it take up too much of my day.
That said, I fear the constant stream. I feel like the constant stream is hard to keep up with and really distracting. If you haven’t read the WSJ piece on the end of the email era, you should definitely check it out. Just as a quick summary, the article talks about how e-mail is slowly but surely being replaced by social media and the constant stream it offers. The article points out that as of August 2009, there are 230 million e-mail users in the U.S., while there are around 300 million social media users.
So what is the constant stream? With such tools as Twitter and Facebook bringing streaming updates to you in real time, as well as RSS feeds, instant messaging, direct messages, social media messages, etc., you can be in constant contact with your friends, family, colleagues and clients. While this might be helpful in business, I think it’s more distracting and has a direct impact on productivity, therefore lowering your business value.
Here’s why I believe that social media should not and will not replace e-mail:
- E-mail is going to evolve. In case you don’t know about Google Wave, it’s a pretty cool idea, though it appears to have some kinks in this first version. However, e-mail is going to change and become something like a Wiki or other collaboration tool. It just has to change.
- People are afraid of working 24/7. With the contant stream, you’ll always be swimming in the river. If you get out, you will get behind. And you might not hear about the Indonesian earthquake. Or that Chris Brown hit someone else. Oh no! Keeping up with this stream is far more useless than helpful.
- It’s not productive. In a river, when can you ever stop and figure out what you’re even working on? I have found that I really need to turn everything off when I focus on something. The constant stream, while helpful at times, can get in the way of more intensive projects. And don’t even think that jumping between projects is really easy — you know it takes time to settle down and get focused on one thing.
- The status quo will reign supreme. I know when I get in a Twitter/Facebook mood, I don’t really get anything else done. Sure, I get caught up with who’s doing what and what cool things are happening today, but what do I actually work on? I think that it’s easy to get stuck doing the same things with the constant stream, especially since it is so hard to keep up with. How will you ever have time to change?
- Can you justify it to your clients? This is a very sensitive subject, especially since there are people on polar opposites of the issue. In public relations, or even with law, business consulting, and freelancing professions, clients are billed for the work you complete. Is keeping up on your own constant stream billable? I wouldn’t think so, and I don’t think companies are going to be willing to pay for things like that.
- I just don’t want to be in constant contact with some people at this second. There, I said it. I don’t want to have a 30-minute instant message conversation when a phone call could resolve something faster or a couple of e-mails at a later time would be just as efficient.
- Other people can’t prioritize for me. If I’m always available, that means I’m leaving my prioritizing up to other people. That usually means everyone is having a crisis, which is usually not the case. E-mail and traditional communication allows me to prioritize my own time, while the constant stream leaves no room for self-prioritization.
I do believe a lot of good can come out of a constant stream, but because tools and technology is changing so quickly, it’s incredibly hard to keep up with. The constant stream is a shiny object we all stare at, but we have to remember the pile of paperwork on our desk we need to get done, too.
What do you think? Is the constant stream really this bad or am I just full of resentment? Any ways to make the constant stream more efficient?
Photo by somegeekintn on Flickr.
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View Comments so far ...
There are ways to make the constant stream more efficient, like using the tools and dividing it into smaller trickles via groups, lists, and columns.
The other you mentioned–turning it off–runs the risk of putting you behind, “missing” something.
Several reasons e-mail will not be fully replaced by streams, updates and more real-time messages, but the biggest to me: it’s Private.
Twitter, FF, other status updates…the purpose of the constant stream is that it’s Public. An “exclusive” PR pitch doesn’t work out in the open.
Yes there are private DMs in almost every network but they’re not optimal for more intensive business communication. E-mail will for many things remain an effective tool for business communication.
Comment on October 15, 2009 11:32 amI completely agree that the constant stream of social media can be distracting. Now that I have a Blackberry, my phone lets me know when I get a call, text, e-mail, Facebook update or Twitter DM.
If I actually want to get a lot of work done, I sometimes mute my phone. I also mute it at night so that I don’t feel as if I am working 24/7.
I think everything online is evolving. People are constantly connected…and continue to want to be connected even more sometimes.
Comment on October 15, 2009 01:28 pmI feel the same way about our home telephone. Just because it is there doesn’t mean I have to answer it – if I’m doing something else, it is disrupting me. It drives some members of my family batty, but this is my world and I’ll get to “that” when I can.
Plus I don’t know if you saw the recent NYT article. It compared social marketing to a big dinner party where you can have a ton of friends there, but only have the time to speak intimately with one or two. Thanks for your thoughts…
Comment on October 15, 2009 05:04 pmGood post, Nick. I agree that the constant stream can feel overwhelming at times, but I think each person just needs to find the right amount of time to spend consuming information via social media each day.
I think the key is just making yourself available when you want to be. If something truly urgent pops up, take care of it right away. But, if things can wait, let them wait. Others will understand that you’re busy and you will follow through and respond, it just might not happen within the hour.
Same goes for things like twitter and facebook. We all know the hyper-active users, and those seem to be the ones constantly bombarded by others. If you ignore twitter for a week, you aren’t going to miss anything life-changing. If it’s truly important, you will hear about it elsewhere. If you’re MIA on facebook for a week, no one will think you died.
Prioritize your constant stream by using labels in your email, separating out lists/groups on Twitter and managing your reader filters. If you understand you can’t be everywhere online all the time, you’ll take a huge step toward not letting it all overwhelm you.
Comment on October 20, 2009 07:00 amDavina, you make a really great point with the privacy point. Sometimes, e-mails are meant to be private and that can be necessary in business communication. Thanks for pointing that out!
Comment on October 21, 2009 07:47 amDoesn’t it feel nice to turn everything off once in a while? I’m not going to lie, the Internet was out at my apartment and I actually studied without anything but my notes. Kind of refreshing.
Thanks for adding your thoughts!
Comment on October 21, 2009 07:48 amJulie, good point. If you’re working, why let others interrupt you? And I did read that article — it absolutely pointed out the negative side of social media. Thanks for contributing.
Comment on October 21, 2009 07:49 amBecky, you’re right about prioritization with the constant stream. It’s impossible to sit in it all day long. But, like you said, prioritizing it can help. Every person has to figure out their own system, I suppose.
Comment on October 21, 2009 07:50 amI completely agree that the constant stream of social media can be distracting. Now that I have a Blackberry, my phone lets me know when I get a call, text, e-mail, Facebook update or Twitter DM.
If I actually want to get a lot of work done, I sometimes mute my phone. I also mute it at night so that I don't feel as if I am working 24/7.
I think everything online is evolving. People are constantly connected…and continue to want to be connected even more sometimes.
Comment on December 26, 2009 11:56 pmI am an advertising professional and I agree totally with everything you've said here. While social media is unavoidable, necessary for credibility, and sometimes profitable, the points that you mention are often overlooked in social media discussions.
Comment on January 4, 2010 09:01 pmI am an advertising professional and I agree totally with everything you've said here. While social media is unavoidable, necessary for credibility, and sometimes profitable, the points that you mention are often overlooked in social media discussions.
Comment on January 5, 2010 04:01 am