The Multitasking Generation Summary

Wallis emphasizes the importance a parent plays in monitoring an adolescent’s technological use, while Turkle appears to rely on the adolescent’s own self-awareness to determine the appropriate use of technology. The importance of family and technology can be felt when reading how Wallis chose to start her essay; Wallis’ short story not only highlights the disconnect felt between family members, but also how much control parents have lost to technology. Wallis’ “The Multitasking Generation” puts the control back in the hands of the parents. In regards to the limitations of technology, Wallis writes,”…it’s up to the grownups to show them what it can’t do, and that there’s life beyond the screen” (Wallis 396). Wallis’ mention of parental roles/family
Technology makes multitasking more appealing because one is able to perform several tasks while watching a movie/show on Netflix, chatting on Facebook, etc. Wallis questions the quality of work one accomplishes while multitasking by illustrating how one’s brain works while performing such acts (Wallis 390). Wallis comes to the conclusion that we all have “inherent limitations in the brain” regardless of age (391). She explains that one’s brain is not capable of providing equally efficient work for the all tasks one is attempting to juggle; Wallis takes it a step further by adding the fact that mistakes are more likely to occur when multitasking, therefore it will inevitably inconvenience those who prefer to multitask for the sake of convenience itself (391). In relation to multitasking, Turkle appears to be more concerned with the fact that these particular individuals are not connecting with the people in their own environment. In paragraph eight, Turkle gives readers an example involving a law firm office and its employees. The example highlights how all of the employees are busy with their many