Last night as I was talking to my boyfriend he mentioned that he would be happy to come home from work and not have the option to get on a computer. I think I could agree with that, but my job – if you could call it that right now – would not allow that. Homework, plus my chosen field of graphic design, make it hard to be away from the computer. Even when I try to take break from the computer somehow “real life” kicks me back to it. Last year I wrote a paper discussing the evolution of the Internet and it’s impact on society. One of my sources said that the Internet, because of its combination of different media (print, oral, audio, visual) into one system, could impact society as much as the alphabet, “creating new forms of identity and inequality, submerging power in decentered flows, and establishing new forms of social organization” (DiMaggio, et al. 2001). The truth in that statement is hard to deny.
The combination of computers, plus the internet, has totally changed our country and the world. One of the biggest things brought on by new technology is the ability to what I call power multitask (PMT). Sure we’ve always multitasked, carrying coffee to our desk while reading the newspaper… listening to music while writing a report, etc. But power multitasking? It’s multi-tasking where each task requires a part of your conscious brain. Carry your coffee to your desk while reading the newspaper is partly carried out by your subconscious, you’re not even thinking about what you’re doing. Talking on the phone, working on a web site, editing, and uploading photos – this is a combination of tasks that I frequently run into that I call power multi-tasking -doing more than one thing at a time that requires the conscious brain. It’s no wonder my attention span over the years has become the length of a paperclip.
In the fast paced world we live in today, more and more people are feeling the need to PMT. Just look at me now… not only do I have 5 different things open on my laptop, but now I have a whole other computer with programs and windows open as well. Some may argue that PMT is more efficient, but others disagree. It all depends on your PMT skills and your ability to utilize your time and plan things out. I had a teacher once that insisted his students didn’t multitask because we would focus better on the project at hand, get it done faster and do a better job. After trying his method I found I agreed with him. Whoever thought of doing one thing at a time!? However, it’s not easy to keep a single-track focus when so many people are pushing you to do so much at once at one time. The challenge of being an efficient PMT then, is once again upon you.
Dimaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Russell Neuman, W., & Robinson, J.P. (2001) Social Implications of the Internet. Annual Review of Sociology, 27, 307-330. Retrieved January 29, 2007, from Academic Search Premier database (5163026).
