So What's Wrong With Pointless Babble?

The folks at Pear Analytics have determined that a whopping 41 percent of postings on Twitter are "pointless babble" (their words). And to this I say:

What's wrong with pointless babble?

Yes, I know that overuse of social media can be a huge time waster and productivity killer. But tweeting a bit during the workday, even if it's about something mundane like where you're going for lunch, is a pretty decent way to give yourself a mental break or blow off some stress.

You're not sharing any earth-shattering observations with the Twitterati. So what?

Think about the person-to-person conversations you have every day at work. Aren't many of them equally trivial? Yesterday alone, I had discussions about the best flavors of gelato, why Microsoft makes computers that take forever to boot, and whether snakeskin or patent is a better choice for strappy sandals. (Snakeskin, hands-down.)

Nothing there that's going to establish me as a genius, but these little exchanges connected me with my co-workers, gave my brain a change of topic, and increased my engagement by reinforcing the fact that there are fun (and funny) people in my workplace. After a few moments of idle chitchat, I'm refreshed and ready to get back to work.

So I think pointless babble has a place, whether it's in your office or online.

What do you think?