Continuous partial attention is one of the side effects of mobile networked computing; it’s parasitic on our desires to feel connected to other people.
“Continuous partial attention and multi-tasking are two different attention strategies, motivated by different impulses. When we multi-task, we are motivated by a desire to be more productive and more efficient. Each activity has the same priority – we eat lunch AND file papers. We stir the soup AND talk on the phone…We multi-task to CREATE more opportunity for ourselves -time to DO more and time to RELAX more.
“In the case of continuous partial attention, we’re motivated by a desire not to miss anything. There’s a kind of vigilance that is not characteristic of multi-tasking. With cpa, we feel most alive when we’re connected, plugged in and in the know. We constantly SCAN for opportunities – activities or people – in any given moment. With every opportunity we ask, “What can I gain here?””
Link: Fine Dining with Mobile Devices (huffingtonpost.com), and also worth reading is Meet the life hackers (nytimes.com) and Attention and Sex (scottberkun.com)
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