It isn’t fashionable to criticise anything to do with the Web 2.0 phenomenon, but I’m feeling daring today so here goes: Twitter is evil.

The micro-blogging-cum-instant-messaging service has a fanatical band of users who spend time posting short messages about whatever they happen to be doing at that moment.

The messages are sent into the internet ether where they can be picked up by anyone who wants to monitor what the sender is saying. It's called "tweeting".

Proponents rave about the service, convinced that telling the world what they’re having for lunch or how boring the meeting they’re in happens to be is a worthwhile activity. Many users subscribe to multiple feeds, desperate to keep up with the whimsical musings of their chosen online friends.

While this all might be a fascinating activity for those with little else to do in their spare time, it’s starting to encroach on the world of work. Now, as well as being distracted by phone calls, email, SMS and instant messaging, you’ve got a new category of communication vying for your attention.

Psychologists are already concerned at the effect technology is having on the average attention span. Email addiction is a recognised condition, as is overuse of IM. As well as killing our ability to concentrate, such channels are increasingly replacing real face-to-face communication.

But Twitter takes this all to a whole new level. How on earth can you concentrate on anything that requires a modicum of unbroken thought when your buddies are busy pinging you about how they’re enjoying eating an ice cream? Do yourself a favour – stop using it now.

Any employer who wants their employees have at least a fighting chance of doing their jobs in an efficient way should block Twitter immediately. Complaints should be met with a “please explain how it makes you more productive” question. They’ll struggle for a good answer.

In a world where complex news stories are reduced to headlines and sound bites, and the volume of information you need to consume each day is skyrocketing, it’s more important than ever to allow yourself sufficient time out to make sense of it all.

Twitter is the antithesis of this idea. Rather than cutting you off from the constant barrage of data, it’s hooking you more closely to it. It doesn’t make us more effective, it merely fills our already overfilled brains with more electronic dross.

It’s evil – plain and simple.