Saturday, November 13, 2010

revealing our secrets...

A large aspect of multitasking (and computer mediated communication (CMC) [1]in general) is the effect it potentially can have on the depth of the communication. Is it possible for someone to have a deep conversation with another person via text messaging? Does the breadth and depth of communication messages reach a plateau when a person is multitasking? Or does CMC actually assist in the revealing of deeply personal information due to the lack of face to face interaction?

In a recent interview with Kevin Benson (Adjunct Faculty at Whitworth University and Manager of the Center for Faith and Healing at Sacred Heart Medical Center) he states:

“I do think that our generation (Millenials, or Gen Y - whatever you want to call me and you) are actually quite good at multi-channel communications. We can text, e-mail, have a face to face conversation. The issue isn't ability to communicate; it's about the DEPTH of communication. I can text, chat, e-mail, and post on your FB wall, but am I using the same abilities to do that as I would be when I'm sitting face to face and engaging my brain and my emotions? Probably not.”

I agree – I think it is about the depth of communication as well. Sure texting, emailing, chatting etc. are all really efficient tools for getting tasks accomplished and saving time with menial details, however, it can be difficult to convey feelings and emotions through mediated channels.” [2]

This idea of depth and breadth in communication isn’t a new one. Scholars have been studying the human potential for communicating personal things (depth) and the array of communication (breadth) for decades. However, the impact of computer mediated communication, especially in terms of multitasking, has yet to be thoroughly addressed.

A few researchers have started investigating the effects and have come up with differing conclusions. One researcher, Brian Spitzberg, has actually found that individuals are more likely to reveal personal, deep information via text messaging and email. The lack of face to face communication appears to allow some individuals the freedom to communicate difficult subjects. In one study “about one-third of people believe it is easier to disclose “frank and unpleasant” things through email (Pew, 2000), which was generally viewed as an important benefit for openness in family and friend relationships.” [3]

A good example of this personal releasing of information without a face to face format is the website called “Post Secret” [4]. In this website people send a post card (so no CMC here) to an individual who has been scanning the postcards and posting them online to a website. The postcards contain secrets that individuals from all over the world submit. The secrets are highly personal and it appears to show that some individuals are more likely to reveal deeply personal information if they do not know the individual and also if they do not have a face to face interaction with them. While this website does not deal directly with multitasking, it does deal with the notion of depth of communication and the lack of face to face communication.

The next question is if adding several channels to communicating at once has a different effect. Can we reveal deep information to more than one person at a time? I agree with Benson, in that although we are skilled in our multitasking of communication, skilled doesn’t necessarily mean a depth and breadth of communication. It will be interesting to see research evolving from this intertwining of CMC, multitasking, and depth/breadth of communication.


[2] Personal interview October 28, 2010
[3] Spitzberg, B. H. (1998). Communication competence: Measures of perceived effectiveness. In C. H.Tardy (Ed.), Handbook for the study of human communication: Methods and instruments for observing, measuring, and assessing communication processes(pp. 67–105). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Posted by Julie Dresback at 9:12 AM 0 comments

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Your brain on apps.

Can multitasking make us smarter?

Paul Saffo, managing director for Discern Analytics, a Silicon Valley forecasting firm, says “there's a case to be made that the Internet is helping to make individuals smarter. There have been studies showing that not just Web searches but also video games are good at stimulating and strengthening parts of the brain.[1]”

Some new studies point to the idea that multitasking isn’t making us dumber it’s just changing the way we think. We have shifted our standards for accessing and presenting resources. But how can we tell if this new form of thinking and multitasking is for the better or for the worse? And should we be that concerned[2]

An article by the Christian Science Monitor implores us with the question “Is technology making us dumb and distracted or turning us into expert information finders and magnificent multitaskers? Is being connected online 24/7 good or bad? Is there even a good way to tell?[3]”

Perhaps this new way of thinking is better. We can know load our brains with much more information all of the time. Remember back in the day when our memories were full of phone numbers, directions, people’s names, store hours etc.? Well we no longer have to maintain that capacity. We have smartphones that can store that information for us freeing up space and time. At the click of a button we can find information on almost anything all while watching TV or speaking with a friend.  You can even download iphone apps that help “organize your brain[4]”.
 
I recently was sitting in class when our professor was discussing a book but couldn’t remember the name of the author. Almost all of the students in the class had their laptops flipped open and within seconds someone had re-informed him of the name he’d forgotten. Was that student thought less of because he was researching something while the professor was talking? I don’t think so. The professor was grateful to have been told the author’s name that he’d forgotten and we quickly moved onto the next topic.

One of the most (or only) noticeable benefits of multitasking is our ability to access information quickly and anywhere doing anything. We are capable of tapping into large amounts of information while sitting in class,  watching TV, or having dinner…

That being said, while I was researching the benefits of multitasking, almost every article I came across ended with cautions and warnings about the negative effects of multitasking. It nearly impossible to find a recent article focused on how multitasking has made us smarter or more effective. Most researchers find that multitasking actually does split our attention so much that we are facing more difficulties accomplishing anything with effectiveness…so maybe our brain overfed on apps isn't always good. 

The only viable benefit of multitasking I could decipher was our access to a broader wealth information… but I’ll leave you with a quote from Herbert A. Simon (Nobel Prize winner) about that:

 “What information consumes is rather obvious: It consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention, and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it.” 

So the benefits of multitasking… very few. I tried.
Posted by Julie Dresback at 1:15 PM 0 comments
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