Kathy Sierra of Creating Passionate Users distrusts Twitter. Why?

The big three reasons, she explains, are:

1) it’s a near-perfect example of the psychological principle of intermittent variable reward, the key addictive element of slot machines.
2) The strong “feeling of connectedness” Twitterers get can trick the brain into thinking its having a meaningful social interaction, while another (ancient) part of the brain “knows” something crucial to human survival is missing.
3) Twitter is yet another–potentially more dramatic–contribution to the problems of always-on multi-tasking… you can’t be Twittering (or emailing or chatting, of course) and simultaneously be in deep thought and/or a flow state.

Being Kathy there is much more said and said with wit, insight and probably from within the flow state and with graphics — and followed by some spirited discussion.

But Kathy, I’m from a large family and I need the noise to be able to concentrate! Twitter is just about the right volume — and I do keep it on the virtual desktop with email so’s I don’t have to see it if I don’t want to. Can I still be in the flow state, please?