Connection Speed vs. Productivity

In this day and age when broadband connectivity is available almost everywhere, I almost forgot that a few years back a lot of us are under the mercy of dial-up connections. I’ve forgotten how efficient we were even without net access.

Now, almost everything we (at least for me) do (work-related) is highly dependent on internet access and how fast the connectivity is.

My question here is “by how much is your productivity affected by your internet speed?”. From the last two days that I’ve been running on my mobile phone’s GPRS connection, I would say “a lot”. I’m now getting something like 40Kbps when back home I have 786Kbps.

For one, I am now doing things much longer than usual. Some of my other regular tasks, I could not do anymore at this speed; they have to be set aside when I get back home. See, what I thought I could have accomplished in an hour, I barely finished in four.

Still, this is better than no connection at all.

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12 Comments

shlok · 17 years ago

how can i get my icons & programs back if i have lost it i lg kp 500

brian · 19 years ago

Whilst I can see the benefits of increased internet speed, I have yet to see any economic analysis that attributes internet speed in the productivity equation.
Anyone know of any?

Manuel Viloria · 20 years ago

Productivity is definitely affected, especially when it comes to installing WordPress blogs and uploading large files.

Otherwise, 40Kbps feels like those dial-up days where e-mail and Eudora and a bit of non-Wordpress site updating is still bearable.

Looks like on the internet, even with audio and video, text rules. :-)

Happy · 20 years ago

I think fatter pipes increases CAPACITY, but if all you’re doing is downloading movies and watching youtube, then PRODUCTIVITY is shot.

Now, if you’re using Web 2.0 programs all the time (e.g. Gmail, Activcollab, like me) then maybe there’s an uptick on your EFFICIENCY, but if you’re not doing anything productive (or doing more of the same) with the time you shaved off because of your newfound efficiency, then PRODUCTIVITY is still lost.

Like, say, when I’m surfing my blogsphere.

noemi · 20 years ago

True , productivity is more efficient as the broadband speed increases. The problem with fast everything, fast computers, fast internet is that most youths today expect everything to be fast…even results. Sometimes it’s good to slow down once in a while. Well not for us who depend on the computers and internet for business.