Cyber Slacking

Whether it is called cyber slacking, computer gold-bricking, cyberloafing, or any of the other dozens of nicknames that have surfaced over the last decade, surfing the web for personal use during work time is a world-wide problem. It is so common these days that many people won’t think twice about surfing the web for personal use, but according to the International Association for Computer Information Systems (2009), cyber slacking costs American businesses $54 billion and 30-40% of productivity losses every year.
It is a very widespread practice; and one that is continuously growing. Laura D.L. Bracken (n.d.), an owner of a web development company called Design Spike, Inc. referenced that “according to a February 2007 survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm that collects data from real-world developments as they affect the virtual world, 83 percent of online users report searching the internet for personal interests” (para. 3). This means only 17 percent of workers who have access to the Internet do not cyber slack. The reason that so many people cyber slack is because there is something to surf the web for everyone: weather, news, social networks, games, shopping, and the list goes on and on. Just recently, for example, the Transportation Security Administration [TSA] blocked certain websites from the federal agency’s computers, including: chat/messaging, controversial opinion, criminal activity, extreme violence, and gaming (Malbran, 2010). With so many potential sites to surf, it’s no wonder so many people are doing it.

References
Bracken, L.(n.d.). Cyberslacking ticks time off the workforce clock. Retrieved from

References: Bracken, L.(n.d.). Cyberslacking ticks time off the workforce clock. Retrieved from http://www.designspike.com/articles/cyberslacking-ticks-time-off-the-workforce-clock/3.htm