The Old Productivity Question
from the does-the-internet-help? dept
A good article in the Economist looking at a recent study suggesting the internet doesn't help productivity very much. The article points out why this study might not be realistic, but also why it might have a good point. My favorite suggestion is the idea that all the productivity gains are balanced out by the "shirking" the web allows workers to do by visiting entertainment or news sites during the working day. Personally, I'm a believer in the idea that it depends on how you use it. And, companies that use it poorly probably pull the "productivity" line down a lot more than the help it gives to companies who use it well. To just aggregate it as a whole and say it's good or bad misses the point.
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