Multitasking Begets Multifragmentation

In yet another confirmation of the obvious, BIGresearch, in its upcoming Simultaneous Media Survey, found
that multitasking causes people to pay more or less attention to the individual multitasked activities depending upon which activity is receiving primary attention. In English, that means a person watching TV while on the Internet will pay less attention to both those media if they decide to make a phone call. Or, when the TV commands primary attention, the email being typed to a friend will pause mid-stream. You get the point. Most people can only do one thing at a time effectively. This whole multitasking thing is really a myth. It should really be called Multi-fragmentation. Afterall, that’s what’s happening. Attention is being further fragmented among multiple points of concentration.

Picture of Steve Hall

Steve Hall

RECENT ARTICLES

TRENDING AROUND THE WEB

Psychologists say the moment you stopped finding your younger brother annoying and started seeing him as a full person marks a crucial stage of your own emotional development

Psychologists say the moment you stopped finding your younger brother annoying and started seeing him as a full person marks a crucial stage of your own emotional development

Global English Editing

People who spend Saturday mornings on unglamorous projects that will benefit strangers they'll never meet have figured out something profound about what makes life worth living

People who spend Saturday mornings on unglamorous projects that will benefit strangers they'll never meet have figured out something profound about what makes life worth living

Global English Editing

8 subtle signs someone is actually deeply lonely but has become an expert at hiding it from everyone

8 subtle signs someone is actually deeply lonely but has become an expert at hiding it from everyone

Global English Editing

People who are the loneliest in retirement are often the ones who had the most successful careers — and here’s the reason why

People who are the loneliest in retirement are often the ones who had the most successful careers — and here’s the reason why

Global English Editing

A Harvard leadership professor says the single trait that predicts transformative impact isn't intelligence or charisma but something much quieter

A Harvard leadership professor says the single trait that predicts transformative impact isn't intelligence or charisma but something much quieter

Global English Editing

People who sit in the back of the room and ask one thoughtful question often do more to shift thinking than those who dominate the entire conversation

People who sit in the back of the room and ask one thoughtful question often do more to shift thinking than those who dominate the entire conversation

Global English Editing