Being one of the first users on Friendster, Facebook, LinkedIn, Gmail, and still new web tools and networks, I hopefully can provide some elucidation on this topic.
Below are some takeaways from the video that are common across other resources I've found. Contrary to the multi-tasking hype, it is more important that people focus while leveraging a multitude of resources at their fingertips. Every day, we are exposed to options, options, options - myriad opportunities to progress, stagnate and regress. You think you're more efficient because you do a wider variety of things in any given day? Think again. Because life isn't perfect (or instantaneous), we must rely on our best tools to accomplish objectives according to our individual realities, and engage in other captivating activities during our "idle" time. Filling in the gaps is different than unnecessarily switching your attention during an activity. Technology, in this sense, is a double-edge sword.
Technology, more than anything else, allows us to manipulate or overcome interpersonal interactions, time, geography, and our purely human limitations to do more at a higher quality than we could do alone or with the aid of others. The Web has infiltrated or will soon infiltrate almost every industry, product, and service in the developed World to create an A La Carte interface for individuals. Anyone can now leverage their networks and preferred online tools to discover, connect, organize, plan, produce, promote, or mindlessly get lost in the noise of promotions and endless amounts of links and backlinks.
And the horizon of technological development reflects our desire to perfect whatever humans may conceive of. Unfortunately, this in part has led to hyper-individualization which I will cover in greater depth later. Technology alone will not solve our problems or help us progress. We need to better understand how to leverage technology to meet our needs and wants. Inappropriate usage of technology, notably the World Wide Web, is often a function of focus, or lack thereof. Our moments of regression or stagnation are not solely due to squandered time perusing "mindless" content on Facebook, YouTube, CollegeHumor.com, Break.com, or the like.
Take a minute to reflect on the times you've had too many computer programs open and get lost in all of the windows. If the window you want is not at the forefront of your desktop, it is "out of focus." TechCrunch and Mashable collectively comment on at least five new online tools daily. But this is a universal challenge, not just a technological one. All of your senses require focus, or "tuning", to be of any value. We simply choose to leverage technology more often than not nowadays - and there's no turning back (for most). The greatest challenge in staying focused, however, is the uncertainty of the future. When we plan, it is often preparation for a future that is yet to be defined. Students are learning today for jobs that do not yet exist. And the evolutionary velocity of global societies, economies, humanity is currently outpacing those tasked with planning for tomorrow. In developed countries, this is a challenge academics, scientists, and engineers primarily face while developing countries are finally enjoying sustainable benefits due to global development.
Remarkable work has already been done and new perspectives revealed by Digital Ethnography at Kansas State University. Another insightful production of theirs can be found below. Enjoy. Get lost. Resurface. Take on the World.
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