We've all had those days when we're stuck in yet another boring, pointless meeting and cannot wait to get back to our desk to check our email, phones, facebook, Twitter and the like. But lately, checking personal cell phones and social networking sites have become commonplace with office workers. This is a common conversation I have on a weekly basis:
Random friend: "Dude, you've been on facebook all morning."
Me: "I don't work...what's your excuse?"
David McCandless has come up with a Hierarchy of Digital Distractions that shows our priorities at work when dealing with digital distractions.
It doesn't surprise me that the iPhone takes up residency at the top. I haven't actually worked while in possession of my iPhone (I was laid off the day I purchased it), but I have many friends who use theirs throughout the day. Twitter or IM blocked at work? No problem. Just jump on your iPhone. Need to check your personal email about a job prospect? Good thing you have an iPhone.
Twitter has its own hierarchy. A re-tweet trumps all, followed by a tweet by a hot stranger, which amazingly enough trumps a friend. Sorry colleague, but you're just a step above a palpable weirdo which is why I haven't accepted you as a friend on facebook yet, so stop requesting me. No, seriously. Stop requesting me.
An email from a friend ranks quite a few levels higher than a work email. I guess that budget will just have to wait until you're done with your digital smoochy faces or smoothing over last night's argument. Then again, that budget can't be that important. After all, everything trumps work.
