Multitasking In An Always-On World

What if getting two things done at once was a bad thing? Although completely unbelievable at first, multitasking is indeed unhealthy and doesn’t allow one’s self to accomplish more. When multitaskers spend time on multiple things and not just one, they allocate time to multiple things instead of focusing on one. The end result is producing several average things in comparison to one great thing. This is exactly what S. Craig Watkins, author of “Fast Entertainment and Multitasking in an Always-On World”, discusses when he outlines why multitasking is hurtful. This aligns with ICMPA’s view, author of “Students Addicted to Social Media”, who also believes that multitasking is bad but not necessarily harmful for people. Although both authors agree

Originally Watkins concludes that media multitasking doesn’t give humans the ability to pay attention to things. He believes that media multitasking diminishes people’s attention span since they have to constantly jump their attention from one thing to another. Moreover Watkins defends the accusation of media multitasking being misleading when he states, “The issue media multitasking raises is not simultaneous media use per se, but rather the ability of humans to pay attention in an always-on, always connected digital-media environment”(Watkins 149). In summary, Watkins strongly questions whether or not humans are capable of paying attention in a world filled with technology. ICMPA challenges Watkins’ view by examining the consequences of living in a world with technology and media multitasking. The first outcome of not being able to media multitask was that people were separated from their loved ones. This is evident by one of ICMPA’s study recipients who stated, “Going without media meant, in their world, going without their friends and family”(ICMPA 484). In this case, ICMPA points out how media multitasking supported people in communicating with people close to them, indirectly suggesting that no attention was lost. Yet another statement made by ICMPA altering Watkin’s view on media multitasking takes place when ICMPA discusses the

ICMPA does this by initially agreeing with Watkins view on how media multitasking accounts for most of our attention distribution. ICMPA then switches gears by stating how multitasking provides a basis for communication. This differs from Watkins original point in which he states how media multitasking doesn’t allow people to focus. ICMPA closes with restating how media multitasking better informs people about their surrounding world, altering Watkins original belief that stated how it is challenging what to pay attention to in a world of media multitasking. Watkins’ proposition puts forward a world in which media multitasking has negative effects whereas ICMPA implies that a world filled with media multitasking would be delightful. The truth of the matter is that only time will tell which author, if any, is correct and until then one can only