Dr Susan Kenyon

www.kent.ac.uk/chss

Centre for Health Services StudiesThe prevalence of multitasking and the influence of Internet use thereon

Reshaping everyday life? The impact of new technologies on citizens’ time IPPR, London 21 November 2006

Dr Susan Kenyon

Centre for Health Services Studies www.kent.ac.uk/chss 2

Overview

• What is multitasking… and why does it matter? • Multitasking and Internet use • Two datasets:

• Methodology • Sample

• Results: diary study • Results: questionnaire survey • Discussion: the implications of the findings • Future research direction

• These data • Future studies – appropriate methods



What is multitasking – and why does it matter?

• ‘Multitasking is the simultaneous conduct of two or more activities, during a given time period.’

• Implications of multitasking for: • Definitions of time

• Understanding of time use • Time use methodologies – and analysis


Why might Internet use influence time use?

• From ‘clock time’ to ‘real time’ to ‘network time’• Real time – Castells – the death of clock time? • Network time – Hassan – no longer governed by the rule

and pace of clock time – return to task time?

• Time use – what is being substituted? • Focus on social effects and effects for transport • Polarisation – Internet good, Internet bad

• Time-space compression – the death of distance? • Hagerstrand – time space prisms • Kwan – ‘time-space convergence is literally complete’;

activities are ‘placeless and timeless’

• But what about multitasking?


Why might Internet use influence multitasking?

• Preconditions for multitasking: • Spatial co-presence • Temporal co-presence

• Influence of Internet upon multitasking: • Reducing locational dependence – in space and time • Continuity of engagement – the fragmentation of

activities • Active/cognitive attention

http://www.zonneheem.be/images/Dienstverlening/Grocery%20Shopping.gif, viewed 17/07/06


Hypothesis

Internet use will lead to greater multitasking, because of the greater ability to multitask when

we are online

…with attendant implications for our understanding of the impacts of Internet use upon activity

participation and time use.


One study, two datasets: the ‘accessibility diary’

• Sample: • 96 participants; 3 waves, six months apart • Theoretical sampling: income, Internet experience,

location, transport mode

Day(s) ……………………………………….

What else were you doing?

Please enter code and duration for up to three additional activities

What did you do?

Please write code for onemain activity

Starttime

Endtime

Where did you do it?

E.g. at home; at office; betweenhome and work…

Did anyoneelse do thiswith you?

Yes / No

Was anyoneelse aroundat the time?

Yes / No Code Dur. Code Dur. Code Dur. : :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

: :

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One study, two datasets: national questionnaire survey

• Sample: • 1000, demographically representative of GB weekly Internet

users aged 16+ • BUT more Internet experience and spend longer online

•Influence of multitasking upon decision to conduct activities online/offline

•Can you multitask more online than offline?

•Qualitative responses – text box


Results: diary study (1)

• Multitasking is very common for this sample - +7.2 hours/day • BUT high degree of variation • What are people doing with this time?

Table 4. Assessing the importance of multitasking: mean minutes per week spent in primary and secondary activities (n=96)

Mean minutes per week Secondary activity time

as % of primary

activity time

Activity Primary Secondary Primary plus secondary

Education 160.3 10.4 170.4 6.5

Info. search 112.2 44.8 157.0 39.9

Paid work 1478.6 15.8 1494.4 1.1

Shopping 153.8 32.3 186.1 21.0

Social networks 594.0 1152.9 1746.9 194.1

All online activities 215.5 128.5 345.0 59.6

All travel activities 682.2 71.3 753.5 10.5

• Increases perception of time spent in all activities by 1 - 194%

• Not randomly distributed across activity types

• 60% increase in time spent online


Results: diary study (2)

• Different activities more amenable to having activities appended • Tendency to multitask influenced by primary activity:

• Online activities more likely to be multitasked than offline activities

• Type of secondary activity influenced by primary activity

Table 5. Percentage of primary activity time involving multitasking, by activity category and offline/online status (wave 1) (n=86)

Total secondary activity time as a percentage of total primary activity time

Primary activity type Total time %

Primary is offline %

Primary is online %

Education 23.0 20.8 63.3

Info. search 42.5 38.8 45.3

Paid work 28.4 28.4 -

Shopping 36.3 32.4 57.9

Social networks 56.3 58.9 38.6

All online activities 44.7 - 44.7

All offline activities (excl. sleeping)

42.8 42.8 -

All travel activities 60.0 60.0 -


Results: questionnaire

• Ability to multitask influences Internet use • Between 33 and 52% of participants say that the ability to

multitask influences their decision to participate in key activities online, rather than offline

• People can multitask more online than offline • Qualitative data support these findings

Table 7. Can you multitask more when doing the following activities online than when you do them offline? (%)

n = Yes No Sometimes Don’t know

Grocery shopping 116 74 4 22 0

Non-grocery shopping 291 81 4 13 2

Communicating with family and friends

468 81 3 15 1

Formal education 112 55 10 32 3

Searching for information 478 85 2 13 1


Conclusions and further research

• Multitasking is prevalent and important • The Internet influences the ability and propensity to multitask • The Internet influences the nature of multitasking

• Increased number of activities can be multitasked • Increased activity participation

• Implications for study of Internet impacts • Understanding of behaviour and behavioural change

• Implications for… • Time use; travel; social exclusion/sociability

• Future directions • These databases – soon to be available online • Methodological development • Theoretical/conceptual development – nature of time and time

use


Acknowledgements and contact details

• EPSRC/DfT funded study within the FIT research programme

• Research undertaken as part of the INTERNET project at the Centre for Transport and Society, UWE, Bristol

• For further information: Dr Susan KenyonLecturer in Qualitative Research MethodsCentre for Health Services StudiesUniversity of KentCanterburyKent CT2 7NF Tel: 01227 824908Email: [email protected]

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