It is indeed possible for people to be productive in a work context using new technologies that enable them to work remotely. However, while virtuality is often touted as a factor that improves and enables quality communication, I believe that the gains from using communications technology are primarily cost reductions.
What types of work can be done virtually? Professional journalists can now easily freelance for multiple newspapers, using technology to complete and submit their tasks in a proficient and professional manner. Other sorts of IT, design, technical and artistic tasks can also be done virtually. The key work is ‘tasks’—transactional tasks are the type of work best done virtually, and when travel is no longer necessary for these, costs are reduced. [...]