Off the Grid? Don't Even Think About It!

Social media butterflies just can’t take a break. (Boston Globe, 7/23/2011)

Excerpt: As a full-time mother, Yara Marquez doesn’t have a boss. But when she goes on vacation, she has work to do beyond caring for her 1-year-old son. “If I’m not on Facebook, I don’t feel like I’m doing my job,’’ said Marquez, 22, of Waltham.

If she takes a few hours off - at the insistance of her annoyed grandmother - her personal taskmasters are quick with negative performance reviews. “Why haven’t you hit me up?’’ friends write on her Facebook wall. Or: “You’re lost!’’

For years, employees have been complaining about bosses who expect them to respond to e-mail or meet other online demands even when they are on vacation. But now some people are feeling social pressure to stay on the grid.

“People expect you to be available,’’ said Rich Ling, author of “New Tech, New Ties: How Mobile Communication Is Reshaping Social Cohesion.’’ [Published in 2008.]  “It’s become taken for granted you are accessible.’’

Article also makes references to.....
35% of American Adults Own a Smartphone. (Pew Internet & American Life Project, 7/11/2011)
SpringHill Suites 2011 Travel Attitudes Survey: Executive Summary.  (Marriott website, 5/18/2011)

I also learned what my Klout is.