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Instant Messaging For Introverts

Posted by kdawson on from the jung-nailed-it-before-meyers-and-briggs dept.

adamengst tips an article up on TidBITS that explores the persistent reluctance of many nerds to embrace fully new communications media such as IM and Twitter. In this thoughtful article Joe Kissell explores, from the inside, the mind of the introvert and how this personality style often struggles with new "always-on" media. The result is a sometimes exasperated incomprehension on the part of the more extroverted. Well worth a read.

9 of 311 comments (clear)

  1. Introversion in the future by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If, as wacky futurists like Ray Kurzweil in his The Singularity is Near human beings will increasingly maintain portions of their conscious in computer networks, is there even a place for introversion in the future? Eventually once all of mankind is networked, it'll be harder and hard to tune out.

  2. Not necessarily introverts by iBod · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Anyone who wants or needs to concentrate suffers from the constant barrage of interruptions from this 'always on' technology.

    IM, Cellphones, SMS etc. It seems to be expected now that everyone should be instantly contactable, at any time, for the most trivial of communications.

    I'm not an introvert, but prefer to be uninterrupted unless it's something really important.

    I annoy people by not playing the game, by turning off my cellphone, not running an IM client (unless I want to specifically talk to someone), only checking my email twice a day etc.

    The constant jabbering and twittering that surrounds us now really pisses me off. QUIET please!

    1. Re:Not necessarily introverts by v1 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not entirely on topic but people need to learn to live without their cell phones. A few people I know, anywhere they go, anything they're doing, their phone is ringing. usually several times. And they always have to answer it. We can be playing a multiplayer game and they'll just stop playing to answer the phone, sometimes costs us the game.

      No amount of heckling them about their constantly having to answer the phone seems to help.

      "I have to answer it. What if it's an important call? What if my wife just got in a car accident or something?" You can't reason with them.

      --
      I work for the Department of Redundancy Department.
    2. Re:Not necessarily introverts by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

      What if it's an important call? What if my wife just got in a car accident or something? That's why I have an established emergency protocol with my family members. If they call and I don't answer the phone, I'm busy, so leave a voice or text message. If it's an emergency, either put 911 in your callback number or 911 in your text message.
      --
      My blog
    3. Re:Not necessarily introverts by smilindog2000 · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Sometimes it is introverts. My ex-wife suffered from both panic disorder and social phobia. I found a great web site with hundreds to thousands of insightful posts about living with panic disorder. On the same host, I found a single post about social phobia:

      "Is anyone out there?"

      --
      Beer is proof that God loves us, and wants us to be happy.
    4. Re:Not necessarily introverts by Ephemeriis · · Score: 3, Interesting

      More to the point : what could possibly be more important than paying attention to the people you're with ?
      And what could possibly be more rude than to temporarily ignore them to accept an interruption ? Exactly. If I'm going out for dinner/drinks/whatever with a bunch of friends or family it is for the purpose of spending time with them. We're supposed to chat, joke, communicate, catch up on things. If someone spends the entire time on their cell phone talking with someone else, why did they bother to show up?

      My wife and I recently went to the movies... Someone, seated a couple rows ahead of us, spent the entire movie texting someone. All through the movie you could see the glow of their cell phone's screen, and their thumbs bouncing around on the keypad. They obviously weren't paying any attention to the movie. They also had another person with them, who appeared to actually be watching the movie. What are they going to talk about afterwards?

      "What did you think about the movie? Wasn't it amazing when that guy did that thing" "Oh, I didn't notice, I was too busy texting..."

      --
      "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." -Oscar Wilde
  3. Re:introverts and IM by Bogtha · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I know a lot of people that are socially very shy in public, that practically live in IM or WOW etc.

    Shyness and introversion are two different things. Introversion is a preference for being alone. Shyness is when somebody feels anxiety around other people.

    IM and other virtual communication can be good at alleviating the anxiety shy people feel, enabling them to socialise frequently, but it isn't going to do anything for an introvert who doesn't want to socialise frequently.

    --
    Bogtha Bogtha Bogtha
  4. Re:Sorry but the first half of that long post by R2.0 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I carpool with a guy that is going through an amicable divorce that is turning messier by the day. She communicate a LOT by text message - not "Pick up some milk" but "I think we should go to counseling" and "I hate you and I never want to talk to you again". Texting has given her the ability to vomit out all her surface thoughts without the burden of reflection or instant feedback from a face to face conversation. Lovely.

    --
    "As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
  5. Introverts vs Extroverts by phleb3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I can relate to Joe Kissell's pain. My worst job ever was a programming job where I was the only introvert in a group of extroverts. My supervisor, a massive extrovert, wanted everyone to use IM. The problem was that for the group, IM meant March Madness, pro football, baseball, golf, but rarely work. I could not concentrate on a problem for more that 5 minutes before the IM client would chime. When I turned it off to get work done, I was 'not a team player' and 'not friendly'. Soon I was cut out of all conversation, and then it was get rid of the guy who won't play along. I left, and found a better job where they understand my work style.