It is an illusion that multitasking helps us do different things simultaneously where in fact we are sacrificing focus.…
In the article “Hooked on Gadgets and Paying a Mental Price” by Matt Richtel, we learn about the effects of being consumed by technology as well as multitasking. In the article, Richtel provides us with a real life example of the Campbell’s, and how Mr. Campbell’s addiction almost cost him a lucrative contract for his startup company. Also, we learn about how he could not even enjoy a family vacation without having his technological fix. Richtel also gives us hard scientific facts about the effects of technology and multitasking, such as the fact that multitaskers are less likely to be able to sort out irrelevant information and that multitaskers do worse when trying to juggle between tasks.…
In John Lorinc's essay “Driven to Distraction”, Lornic claims that with the advent of being constantly connected to the internet we are losing our brain's function to concentrate and retain information. He further suggests that by being exposed to constant streams of information, these constant interruptions have caused us to become easily distracted by the need to know what is happening now. Lorinc explains how people have errounously “misappropriated... the phrase 'multi-tasking'”(372) and have used it to describe their quick mental capabilities for handling these interruptions. While the belief is that multi-tasking “seems more efficient”(372), Lorinc challenges that multi-tasking actually “takes more time in the end”(372) due to the context…
Multitasking can be beneficial or just a waste of time. In “How (and Why) to Stop Multitasking Peter Bregman and “In Defense of Multitasking” David Silverman, both bloggers explain their points of view on multitasking. Bregman explains the reasons why multitasking is bad “I will not deny that single-minded devotion often produces high quality. Nor will I attempt to join the misguided (and scientifically discredited) many who say “Yeah, other people can’t do it, but I am super awesome at doing ten things at once” (656) he explained. Silverman strongly believes that as human beings we have the habit of always trying to do as many tasks or get more time out of a 24 hour day.…
In the article “You’ll Never Learn”, Annie Paul describes how multitasking while learning negatively affects students’ memory, grades and more. Paul begins by giving the results of an experiment done on how students study. Many of the students spent a lot of the time texting and on Facebook instead of actually studying. Paul then turns the attention to evidence from psychology suggesting that when students multitask their work ends up being of lower quality than if they would not have. According to researchers, the schoolwork takes longer to finish when multitasking because students waste time on nonsense.…
Since the early 1990’s multitasking has been thought of as an efficient way of saving time in our busy everyday lives. Emailing and chatting with multiple people at once online, watching television and talking on the phone are a couple of examples of how people tend to juggle multiple tasks.…
Multitasking Hurts Performances but Makes You Feel Better, the title says it all. The authors’ main reason for this article is to share the truth about multitasking with the public. The article talks about studies taken on individual students over a period of time and their urge for multitasking. The students who multitasked seem to think that when they are studying and listening to music, watching television, texting, or on the internet that it makes them more productive. In reality the students are only obtaining an emotional boost from doing so. The author argues that when juggling too many tasks that you will perform poorly so you should refrain from doing so. They also claim that if you are a victim of multitasking now, you will most likely continue this trend and make it a habit. “It is critical that we carefully examine the long-term influence of media multitasking on how we perform on cognitive tasks.”…
Like their adult counterparts, young people often believe multitasking boosts efficiency. But there is no such boost; People who multitask actually take longer to get things done. If a teen is trying to write an essay on Shakespeare while text messaging friends, the back-and-forth can cause "a kind of mental brown-out”. You wind up needing to use the same sorts of mental and physical resources for performing each of the tasks. You 're having to switch back and forth between the two tasks as opposed to really doing them simultaneously."…
Technology has made it possible to multitask and soon, corporate workers began to include multitasking as a proficiency to portray themselves as tech savvy and efficient. The article “Who can remember life before Multitask” in the New York Times Magazine, 2001, suggested ideas on how to make use of the “multitasking hot spot” section of the brain.…
Multitasking can be prevented by self-control. In the marshmallow test this test was a result of self-control and obedience. Children were given a marshmallow and was told if they could wait 15 minutes without eating the marshmallow, then they would be rewarded with two marshmallows. This test was proven that the ones who had self-control were more likely successful in life compared to the ones who couldn’t…
Contrary to popular belief, multitasking doesn't save time. In fact, it will probably take you longer to finish two projects when you're jumping back and forth than it would to finish each one separately. The same is true even for behaviors as seemingly automatic as driving: In a 2008 University of Utah study, drivers took longer to reach their destinations when they chatted on cell phones.…
Also, the cashier can ask and talk to the customers if they find everything okay while they deal with the payment, students can do their homework and watch their favorite T.V. show at the same time, or people can do lots of things while they drive their cars. However, multitasking is also harmful to us because many people make mistakes, lost the tracks of time, and affect many people’s lives.…
The videos and articles about multitasking really brought attention to the problem of multitasking that I never wanted to accept. I am constantly multitasking, and as much as I hate to admit it, I know that it is not the best thing to do. First of all, when I multitask, I do not give the task at hand the amount of focus that it needs so it is usually not done at the best of my ability. Secondly, personally and as a culture, multitasking is making it more difficult to do a single task and it makes us bored more easily. If we do not have multiple forms of stimulation we get bored. I know I am not the only one who plays on their phone while they are watching television. Since I started that habit, I can’t even sit through a whole hour or half…
While these examples may sound appealing, multitasking can be disadvantageous. For instance, doing multiple tasks at the same time would divide our attention between the tasks. Having our attention split in different jobs gives a higher chance of missing some details that may be a vital part in our work. This is why it is better if we focus on…
II. This article written by Bruce Weinstein, talks about the relationship of Ethics to multitasking and how Multitasking negatively effects a person. At the beginning of the article, Weinstein talks about how multitasking wasn’t always a ethical problem. Before the days of advanced computer technology and smartphones, multitasking wasn’t a common issue. The problems with cell phones and other media devices is that not only can you call or text someone, smartphones can do just about anything that a computer can. Now instead of just worrying about calling someone back, we can call, text, email, or skype them, while listening to music. The ethical issue with this is that all of our attention isn’t being focused on one task at a time. Therefore, making it difficult to complete task to the best of our abilities. Next, Weinstein talks about why multitasking is unethical. Weinstein discusses how a new study showed that people who were multitasking while trying to complete a certain activity were less likely to complete the activity well. Weinstein also makes a point that not only is multitasking behind a desk unproductive, but multitasking can also be a killer. A multitasker behind the wheel of car is 23 times more likely to get in a crash than someone who is not texting and driving. Weinstein also gave an example of how multitasking effects work ethic by giving an example of a frustracted brank executive. This particular bank executive would get frustrated with her manager when in meetings because questions would have to be repeated multiple times all because the manager was trying to do too many things at once. Weinstein makes a good point, in that, a…