A Closer Look at Digital Distraction

Image: Daniel Boland, Flickr.

We have developed into digitalbutterflies,

effortlessly shifting between multiple sites, screens and different types of

socialization.

Image: CubaGallery, Flickr.

With constant connectivity, there is

always a new piece ofinformation or morsel

of entertainmentavailable –

perfect for a quick escape from the real world or to

fill in moments ofmicrobordom.

Image: Jerrycharlotte, Flickr.

Has easy access to such an abundance of informationtruley helped us to become better multitaskers?

The question is:Image: Krelic, Flickr.

Many are answering

with a resounding

No!

Digital natives in particular

may thinkthey’re

excellent multitaskers

Image: DinahSaysNothing, Flickr.

. . .

But a study conducted by Stanford University reveals that mediamultitaskers “are not good at

switching tasks or ignoring irrelevant information.” *

Instead, they’re just more easilydistracted from their goals.

*“Tangled in an Endless Web of Distractions,” Boston Globe

Image: americanvirus, Flickr.

Not all of our distractions are created equal. We engage more with certain devices or content than we do with others.

Understanding our own level of investment in different digital situations may help us cut out key distractions while working.

Image: Jakedavies8, Flickr.

Image: StephieWebb, Flickr.

The

hierarchyof digital distractions

represents which interruptionswe find most disruptive to our lives.

Those that rank highest on the pyramid are the most distracting.

Distractions whichrank lower are much

easier to ignore and willquickly lose our attention

when something moreimportant occurs.

Image: Mark Mitchell, Flickr.

So what ranks in at

number one?

Image: radziu, Flickr.

Experiencing

device failure is the biggest distraction.

It can cause us severe

digital pain.

Image: vickirainwater, Flickr.

An incoming

mobile phone callis next in terms of

impact. Although they might be rare, they’re tough for us to ignore.

Image: Trey Ratcliff, Flickr.

Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, Flickr.

e-mails,

text messages and tweetscome next on the hierarchy.

They capture our attention since they’re a form of contact with others and can make us

feel appreciated.

Romantic

Regular, personal

e-mails, online dating messages,

voicemails and

Skype calls all fall in the middle ground of distraction.

Calls on a landline are also on par with these types of interruptions which – while not the most exciting parts of our day – still show us that we are wanted.Image: *potato, the bad, Flickr.

Less immediate forms of contact, such as messages on Skype, Twitter and Facebook, have an even lower impact on us.

Image: bia * alvarez, Flickr.

If you use LinkedIn or

MySpace, you’ll find updates from these social

media sites a relatively minor distraction.

Also near the bottom are

Facebook invites and friend requests, which

are thought to receive mere automatic or reflex responses.

Image: David Klein, Flickr.

Image: Mehfuz Hossain, Flickr.

Last and therefore least in the hierarchy is any type of

actual work.

Does this theory support the idea that constant connectivity is hurting our performance at school and in the workplace?

Image: niovate, Flickr.

Technopanic in the Classroom

While distracted students are

nothing new, the increase in

available avenues of stimulation could create a

permanent shift in their ability to

focus.

Image: Wesley Fryer, Flickr.

“Their brains are rewarded not for staying on task but for jumping to the next thing. The worry is we’re raising

a generation of kids in front of screens whose brains are going to be

wired differently.” – Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media

and Child Health

Image: evaxebra, Flickr.

Digital distractions cause

workers to loseapproximately

one hour’s worth of productivity

every day.

45% of workers

can only workfor 15 minutes

or lesswithout

interruption.

Source: survey conducted by Harmon.ie of 500 international organizations.

Distractions in the Workplace Can Quickly Add Up

More than just young students are being affected by technological advances and having information at their fingertips:

“57% of work interruptions

now involve either using collaboration and social toolslike email, social networks, text

messaging and IM, or switching windows among

disparate standalone tools and applications.”

Desperate Times = Desperate Measures?

Some schools and companies believe

unwired lecture halls (or offices) and strict gadget bans are the answer for reclaiming wandering attention. Image: nooccar, Flickr.

“We’re very seduced by the little red light on

our BlackBerrys, by the ping that tells us we’ve

got mail. We’re vulnerable to that

feeling of being wanted and being connected,

but we need some time to be alone.”

- Sherry Turkle, author of “Alone Together”

Image: Todd Klassy, Flickr.

The ability to balance your desires (or reflexes) to check-in, reply and update right away with the need to complete

a specific task is already a useful skill which will only become increasingly important as time goes on.

Image: rohaan2012, Flickr.

Learning to manage digital distractions is becoming a necessary part of life.