IM at the workplace seems silly, doesn’t it?

Many people use Instant Messaging of some form at work. It helps break up the boredom of an otherwise laborious day at the office place. Instant Messaging, IM, ICQ, pinging or whatever you want to call it has become a part of our daily lives.

I work at a company that has open seating cubicles. The only separation between me and my coworkers is a small cubicle wall that extends a mere foot above the desk. We all can easily look around at each other during the day and easily converse if need be. Yet all of us use IM to chat with the person sitting next to us. There’s nothing like seeing one coworker send a message to another and then look to see what that persons physical response will be. I watch individuals send a message and then quickly look to the recipient to catch their reaction. Seems kind of silly, doesn’t it?

Well, I suppose it was even funnier in the days before IM where we used to call each other on the phone rather than chatting over the cubicle wall. Lunch would roll around and the guy in the next cube would call to see if I was ready to go to lunch.

Long gone are the days when coworkers would actually gather around the water cooler and exchange some witty banter. Now its fingers flying fast and furiously, attempting to get that zinger sent off before your coworker has a chance to respond.