Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Law Students Blogs -> Nuts & Boalts

Law Students

: Nuts & Boalts

If Information's a Drug, Multitasking is a Disease

Earlier this week, researchers at Stanford announced a ?surprise finding? that people with access to many kinds of media tend to be more distracted than those who don?t. Come on Stanford, is that really the best you c?

[checks facebook]

The article itself is rather entertaining. Apparently, we lost children ?love stuff that doesn?t matter? and ?can?t help thinking about things [we] aren?t doing.? And when we descend into the shadowy underworld of so-called high multitasking, ?[Our] greatest thrill is to get more.?

I wonder if it isn?t a bit of an overstatement to categorize multitaskers as lovers of triviality. The multitaskers in this study performed worse in concentration tests, true ? but perhaps that?s because people with access to Blackberries/iPones/laptops/etc. have learned to prioritize their focus across media to maximize personal utility and entertainment. Why ? for example ? would I focus on some lab researcher?s red rectangles when I can look at the red and blue rectangles and simultaneously plan which 30 Rock reruns I want to watch while I Yelp where I can get some great potstickers tonight?

In any case ? the article DOES contain some good news. It seems, ?Lawyers or advertisers can try to use irrelevant information to distract or refocus people to influence their decisions.? Dang ? that?s another one they forgot to mention in my legal skills class.

Full post as published by Nuts & Boalts on August 26, 2009 (boomark / email).