The Fragmentation of Media Tasks on a Laptop Computer: Moment-by-Moment Analysis of Task-Switching and Writing Performance

• In Event: Multitasking and Attention

Abstract

Communication technologies increasingly centralize various media activities onto a single device, permitting users to switch extensively between contents. The current study employs novel methods to (i) directly monitor the moment-by-moment process of task-switching while working on personal computers and (ii) identify the mechanisms by which switching influences performance. Chief was the finding that the completion of serious work tasks – in this case, writing – is exceptionally fragmented. Writing tasks are completed in short bursts of time (51 seconds) and small blocks of composition (10 words), with rapid switches between writing activity, task-related content, and wholly unrelated media stimuli. The impact of this process on writing performance is dependent on several structural and content-related parameters – including duration of writing, switching frequency, and relatedness of content accessed prior to writing – as well as the metric of performance considered. Implications for future research and solutions for mitigating the impact of this behavior are discussed.

Authors

• James J Cummings, Boston University

• Leo Yeykelis, Alphabet, Inc.

• Byron Reeves, Stanford University