We need to take another look at productivity. Productivity has its roots in economic output models of production, yes? Seems to be like a solid industrial age metric. There was a hullabalo yesterday over how how much productivity was wasted on Twitter. Pat Phelan published a post on it yesterday and tried to put a number on it. He estimates it will cost the US economy roughly $14B in lost productivity.Why do we keep trying to apply old metrics to new models?Let’s talk about the new productivity and maybe give it a more suitable name? Sorry, I’m not interested in producing “outputs” anymore. The new productivity should be measured in absorption rate and rate of knowledge infusion. With the rapid layering of our social graphs and their instantaneous egalitarian refresh of ideas and truths, we are regening our minds faster than ever in modern career history. Twitter, for all its silliness on occasion, is a massive societal, academic, and yes, business collaboration platform that shapes and fosters our newfound digital intelligence irrespective of nation, race, gender, all the built-in stereotypes.Here, McCluhan is wrong. The messages are the medium. Twitter takes us to places unexpected. It makes us angry; it makes us think. It makes us learn. It makes us cry. All in a single day; while we’re between conference calls; while we’re waiting for a train; while we’re bored; while we’re busy. Some say we’re addicted to Twitter. It’s not the platform we’re addicted to– it’s humanity and improving our lives, our minds, our businesses, and the human condition.