Spending an hour, mostly without even realizing it, at social networking sites when we have pressing tasks at hand is something many of us can relate to. Some of us think that we’ve lost a valuable hour, yet some feel rejuvenated and put that extra ounce of creativity into work. When they eventually get to it, and a few of us who are exceptionally good at multitasking do, may get both Facebook browsing and the job done at the same time.[break]
Rashmi Mainali, a mother and a program coordinator at a reputed college in the capital, says, “While Twittering and Facebooking can function as a means of refreshment from long working hours, one should be careful not to take it to a level where it becomes an addiction.”
However, tuning frequently to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other networking sites while at work seems to have become something that’s beyond our personal control.
It’s not our sensory motors driving us to visit those sites; it seems as though our “muscle memory” is at work in such cases. Given that we’re connected to the Web, our fingers, every hour or two, seem to automatically find their way into such sites, only to be bombarded by the flood of (un)filtered images and information.
The repercussions of such digital obsession, if we may call it, and the information glut resulted by it can be far-reaching, both for the individual health and the wellbeing of the organizations that pay those individuals. While such practice may naturally undermine the organizations´ output, given the time employees spend socializing at such sites, it can also erode personal creativity and competence.
“Your attention is fractured whenever you’re online at work,” says Krishna Niroula, a copy editor at Ekta Publications. “If your friend pops up in a chat, it’s almost impossible to avoid her. So you’re in trouble if you’re online while you work,” he adds. He tends not to open Facebook while he’s editing manuscripts, considering the concentration his job demands.
Divided attention is one possible outcome of being always connected. A research published in PLOS ONE, an online journal publication, traces out the behavioral outcomes of Internet Addiction Disorder, a specific mode of Internet use where an individual is unable to censor his or her use of the Internet. The results can range from high level of distress, largely diminished attention spans, and reduced performance.
However, the case that social networking sites are mere impediment to work may not hold universally true. When Facebook is being exploited unproductively and often in damaging ways to employees and the organizations they work for, a trend of expanding social networks in a way that works to the benefits of the company or organization is also rising simultaneously.
Merina Karki, who is BBA Program Coordinator at International School of Management and Technology, uses it to get official messages conveyed across large number of students who tend to turn more to Facebook than emails for information.
"The official pages now made possible by Facebook also help in marketing and advertising," she adds. But at the same time she’s also clear to stress the role of self-discipline in preventing overuse of such social sites.
Globally, examples of social networking sites actually helping in the work are abundant. BBC, through its page "worldhaveyoursay" facilitates global debates on key issues, making it possible to endorse the views of people from every corner of the world. Similarly, the role of social sites in the works of international or inter-governmental organizations is of key importance. Unlike press statements and conferences that depend upon the constant number of audience of broadcast media, networking sites can get ideas flowing among audiences in network who increase in exponential manner.
On the other hand, not all organizations are dependent on social sites for the purpose of communication.
Nepal National Dalit Welfare Social Organization (NNDWSO) accomplishes it through its official website. Gita Aryal, an Assistant Public Relations Officer at NNDWSO, explains, “Our fields are mostly the remote regions of Nepal with very low rate of Internet access. So we rely on firsthand visits and data collection. For communicating our information, we have a regularly updated official website."
Gita Aryal and her colleagues aren’t barred from logging in to social sites during work.
"And it hasn’t become an obstruction to our work so far because we have the mechanism of role division where everyone is expected to comply with the demands of one´s role and get the job done," Gita adds.
However, opinions regarding the use of social networking sites during work can vary. An employee of a central bank of Nepal personally views that tuning into social sites during work is a major source of damages to an individual’s creativity and performance and is more of an ethical problem.
"So, although a legal approach, including a code of conduct with strong enforcement mechanism, must be in place, a principle-based approach where workers can be trained in the ethical sides of such use or about the importance of maintaining a healthy work culture should go hand in hand," says the employee who personally prefers intra-net server and internal discussion forum over social networking sites.
At this point, also worthy of considering is the fact that accessing social networking sites can hardly be absolutely barred, given the widespread reach of smart phones and computer apps.
Sandesh Sharma, a science student at Everest Florida College, explains that in case the college administration exerts restriction over the use of social networking sites, GPA connections on phone and the use of proxy servers come handy and have or can become popular among students.
So, keeping this in mind, maintaining a balance between work and digital deluge is the challenge posed by the present time.
Shaurav Dhungana, a communication engineer who works as a freelancer, aspires to achieve such a balance.
"Blocking social networking sites out of a server isn’t the solution. Doing so can also lead to higher risks to those being accessed through unwelcome and unwarranted channels.
However, such social sites also have positive sides to them: they help break the monotony of work. So, in the end, it’s upto an individual to make a rational choice. It’s a matter of sense of duty, of ethics, and of getting the job done,” he says.
The inundation of social networking sites, coupled with easy accesses to Internet, makes it difficult to stay away. However, overindulgence certainly have its downsides, too. In such scenarios, maximizing the benefits of technological advancement by striving to create a healthy balance seems to be the rational choice.
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