Work and Play

I have always had a lot of time for Tom Davenport, which is not to say that I always agree with him. However he really seems to have a blind spot on social computing. This latest post sees him painting himself into a corner on the separation from the supposed functionality of work from social interaction. Aside from the general issue about the blurring of boundaries between work and play among knowledge workers, he also seems to see any social network as a form of market exchange. Social obligation and interaction is not an advanced form of market capitalism, it’s the very core of what it is to be human. I don’t do something for you and stack debit in an internal bank account. I help you in context because it is a part of being human. Social computing as a concept and tool set provides the means for social interaction across all aspects of my life, to deny it in a business context is just plain stupid – unless you want a workforce of robots.