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.