The Multitasking Generation

Recently a co-worker made a comment, that reminded me of an article I read close to a year ago. The subject of the article was that today's generation multitask way to much. Now growing up, I had always heard that being able to multitask was a great skill and very beneficial when one gets older. Well the article I read states that this generation multitasks way to much, and that our brains are being wired to be in a constant state of multitasking. Think about your typical teenager, or refer the picture I included with this post (taken off my desktop btw). Most teenagers are sitting on the computer, listening to music, loading music onto an ipod, talking on the cell phone, playing a game, looking at pics, looking at a social networking websites (facebook, etc.), all of this at the same time.

Doing a lot of things all at once while being on the computer may seem second nature, at least it does to me, but it's wiring our brains into a constant state of multitasking. Even when we aren't multitasking, we are expecting some kind of interruption, and unconsciously wait for it. The interruption can be a phone call, text msg, or an email. The problem with this, is that people lose the ability to focus on one task at a time, because we are too busy either working or looking for another task to do at the same time.

My generation is a part of this, I see it in friends, and in myself. Although I don't feel as negative about it, as the article did. I myself can be working on multiple things at once, and still stop every so often to check my phone, email, or facebook. It's a habit, and more so, a natural thing for me.

A lot of us study easier when we are listening to music. That's the only way I can study, if it's not their in the background, I can't concentrate.

There is really no solving this problem, if you want to call it a problem. I see it more as the way society is changing. It may be for both the better and the worse, but that is up to your own beliefs. I just wanted to share a little something that most of us do now, and that you may do yourself without even realizing it.