????互聯網設備制造商思科系統（Cisco System）發布報告指出，互聯網對于年輕人的重要性不亞于生命。

????共有2,800名30歲以下的大學生和公司員工接受了調查，三分之一的受訪者表示，互聯網對于他們的重要性和空氣、水、食物以及住所一樣。按照這個邏輯，他們寧愿窒息而亡，也不愿看不到Twitter更新、欣賞不到好友發布在Facebook上的搞笑照片。

????假如（希望如此）你讓他們坐下來，和他們好好暢談一番，你（和他們）就會發現他們不會真的因為沒有互聯網而選擇離開人世。然而，思科的《互聯世界技術報告》（Cisco's Connected World Technology Report）向企業招聘人員傳達了一個重要信息：最好讓員工能自由使用各種技術和通訊發時，否則公司就會遇到麻煩。

????思科認為其研究表明“網絡在人們生活中扮演的角色越來越重要”，這也許能解釋身為全球領先的互聯網路由器和交換機制造商思科為什么要開展這樣一項研究。思科首席未來暢想家戴維?埃文斯在一份聲明中表示，調查結果強調了“‘產銷者’的生活方式”。所謂產銷者，是同一工作平臺上專業生產者和消費者的結合。（例如淘寶、Facebook這樣由用戶創造內容、同時進行消費的網站——譯注）。

????這是思科第二次發布類似的報告，該公司稱以后將每年發布一次。去年的報告結果和今年基本一致，雖然思科當時強調，在年輕員工眼里，移動性和靈活性排在最前面；緊隨其后的是互聯網和生命。

????在最新的調查中，三分之一的受訪者稱，在考慮雇主時，他們會將能否在家辦公、移動設備的選擇和“自由使用社交媒體”作為最重要的三大因素，而薪資待遇則滑落至第四位。

????在年紀較長的人看來，或許這樣的數據證明年輕人自以為是、自由散漫；毫無疑問，這些確實能說明問題。不過好消息是，有三分之二的受訪者仍然選擇了空氣而非互聯網。

????更為重要的是，調查顯示，年輕人工作和個人生活之間的界限越來越模糊。他們會“時刻在線”，從雇主角度而言（從社會角度而言則未必）這有益無害。大部分受訪者（70%）在Facebook上和其老板或同事是好友。他們不但在工作中保持聯系，還隨時關注大家在周末的任何重要聚會。

????有些公司仍然限制員工接入互聯網，例如他們會屏蔽一些“浪費時間的”網站，這些公司要注意了；同樣，只許員工們使用特定技術的IT經理們也要注意了。在其它條件都相同的情況下，如果能以較低薪水招到富有才華的員工，前提是允許他們訪問Facebook，或是發給他們iPhone而不是黑莓（BlackBerry），公司何樂而不為。喜歡浪費時間的員工無論怎樣都會浪費時間。開放Facebook和Twitter會使員工覺得自己能當家作主，而且與公司、與其他人緊密聯系。反之，屏蔽互聯網只會讓他們覺得自己像小孩一樣被公司死死管住。

????譯者：項航

????A study by Cisco Systems (CSCO), which makes equipment that runs the Internet, concludes that the Internet, to many young people, is as important as life itself.

????A third of the 2,800 college students and workers under 30 polled said the Internet is as valuable to them as air, water, food, and shelter. Followed to its logical conclusion, that means they would sooner die of asphyxiation than go without Twitter updates and friends' wacky photos on Facebook.

????Presumably (hopefully) if you sat those respondents down and talked to them, you (and they) would learn that they wouldn't actually rather die than live without the Internet. But the results of Cisco's Connected World Technology Report nevertheless carry an important message for corporate recruiters: you'd better make technology and communications freely available to your employees, or you might be in trouble.

????Cisco says the study reveals the "increasing role of the network in people's lives," which might offer a hint as to why one of the world's leading manufacturers of Internet routers and switches conducted it in the first place. Dave Evans, Cisco's chief futurist, said in a statement that the results highlight the "lifestyles of 'prosumers' -- the blending of professionals and consumers in the workplace."

????This is the second such study, which the company says will be conducted annually. Last year's results were much the same, though the company emphasized young workers' preferences for mobility and flexibility over their preferences for Internet access over life itself.

????A third of respondents in the new report said that, in choosing an employer, they would put the ability to work from home, choice of mobile device, and "social media freedom" above salary as priorities.

????Some older people might see statistics like these as evidence of a streak of entitlement and a lack of focus on the part of younger people, and no doubt those are factors. But the good news is that two-thirds of them would still choose oxygen over Internet access.

????More to the point, the survey reveals that younger people are less apt to make distinctions between their work and personal lives. They are "always on," which from an employer's perspective (if not necessarily society's) can only be a good thing. Most respondents -- 70% -- are friends with their bosses or coworkers on Facebook. They keep up with work along with keeping up with this weekend's keg parties.

????Employers that are still restricting their workers' Internet access, such as by blocking certain "time-wasting" sites, should take note, as should IT managers that are still restricting which technologies workers should be allowed to use. Everything else being equal, if you can snag talented workers at lower salaries by letting them look at Facebook or by giving them an iPhone (AAPL) rather than a BlackBerry (RIMM), it seems like a no-brainer that you should. Workers prone to wasting time will waste time no matter what. Allowing access to Facebook and Twitter makes workers feel empowered and connected -- including to the workplace. Blocking access makes them feel like children.