New reports find that high multi-taskers are “lousy at everything that’s necessary for multitasking.” Considering the amount of time people spend with around-the-clock access to TV, the Internet and mobile devices, it’s not surprising. The following is a look at the causes and effects of multitasking.
Click to view in a single infographic.
Generation Wired
How Much Time do Young People Spend Using Media?
Young people aged 8-18 spend an average of over 7.5 hours every day consuming media. That’s close to the 8 hours of recommended sleep every night.
Media Addiction
If you don’t know you’re addicted to media, you’re in denial. The simple fact that you’re reading this on a small tech blog means that you probably found this on a social media site. How much time do you spend on them? What about your mobile device? Television? Admitting that you have an addiction is the first step.
What Goes on in the Brain?
Carnegie Mellon University’s Dr. Marcel Just tested the brain’s ability to do two things at once. By mapping brain activity during a single task and then during multitasking, he showed that overall brain activity decreases when people try to do two things at the same time.
This comes as no surprise to anyone who has ever tried to run their own home business or a small startup. Multitasking lets you do a bunch of tasks poorly and none of them well.
Never thought about it like thst before.