DCist acknowledges and advocates the many practical uses for instant messaging at work. The ease of communication, the lowered occurrence of phone tag, and the avoidance of becoming a victim of co-workers’ increasing reluctance to understand that e-mail should be checked more than twice a day, all make instant messaging a wonderful workplace addition. It appears that many employers are recognizing the benefits of messaging in the workplace as well, with 27 percent of all workers now accessing these systems from the office.
But, what really intrigued DCist about this Post article on instant messaging was the D.C.-specific bits of information.
Also on the rise is flirting via IM at work. Some 21 percent of IM users nationwide told AOL they use IM to flirt in the office. Washington, it turns out, leads the country in flirting and setting up dates via IM at work, according to AOL. It found 39 percent of those in D.C. acknowledging flirting or making dates via IM in the office. Washington also was one of the three cities where IM users were most likely to use multiple screen identities to maintain an alter ego.
Overall, Washington has more IM users than the national average — 61 percent of the D.C. Internet population, versus 59 percent nationwide. That placed the District at No. 8 among the 20 cites AOL surveyed. Washington residents also send more instant messages — an average of 16 a day, compared with 12 nationwide.
The high amount of messaging users in the D.C. area does not surprise DCist with AOLs headquarters in Dulles and most of Capitol Hill online. And quite frankly neither does the higher rate of flirting on IM. Pointing again to the fact that most of Capitol Hill uses messaging, and, ehem, speculating that the Hill is a large dating scene where work is intimately intertwined with dating well, flirting would be all in a days work, right?
What DCist is wondering is why we are spending our time posting this article for you to read when we obviously should be spending quality time IM flirting. Clearly our priorities are out of whack.
