How much of your professional life depends an internet connection?
I took a short 1.5 day holiday this weekend but had to do some work nonetheless. Much of my work (academia, consulting and my non-paying-yet-rewarding-in-so-many-other-ways social media stuff) depends on having an internet connection. It was amazing to realize that I can’t answer my students if I don’t have access to email. I can’t upload documents on to the collaborative sites that have been designed for that purpose.
By the same token, much of the work I do as a consultant relies on having access to the web. It’s a bit scary, though. It’s not an addiction, it’s dependency. So, I just paused to ponder – how much of everyone’s professional lives does depend on the web now?
November 13th, 2010 in
not a super crucial topic
I’ve been thinking about this a fair bit lately. I work off a Macbook that has easy access to turning the wireless, or “AirPort” for the Mac-ally correct, on and off.
When I want to work, I turn it off. I put my iPhone in Airplane Mode and don’t tether. When I need to pop online, I either use my phone’s browser or deliberately turn on an Internet connection. Although being connected is essential for my work, it’s not a pre-requisite for everything I do and, because of my addiction to being online, I don’t treat it as such.
OK, this is a bit off topic, but Raul, how are you differentiating between an “addiction” and “dependency”? The DSM-IV uses the word “dependence” for what most people refer to as “addiction” (e.g., alcohol dependence, rather than alcoholism, substance dependence rather than drug addiction).