A short presentation created for FILM315. Think you’re great at multitasking? You might want to think again, and evaluate where your priorities lie compared to the hierarchy of digital distractions.

1. Image: Daniel Boland, Flickr.
A Closer Look at Digital Distraction

2. Image: CubaGallery, Flickr.
We have developed
into digital
butterflies,
effortlessly shifting
between multiple
sites, screens and
different types of
socialization.

3. With constant
connectivity, there is
always a new piece of
information or morsel
of entertainment
available –
perfect for a quick escape
from the real world or to
fill in moments of
microbordom.
Image: Jerrycharlotte, Flickr.

4. Image: Krelic, Flickr.
The question is:
Has easy access to such an abundance of information
truley helped us to become better multitaskers?

5. Many are
answering
with a
resounding
No!
Digital natives
in particular
may think
they’re
excellent
multitaskers . . .
Image: DinahSaysNothing, Flickr.

6. *“Tangled in an Endless Web of Distractions,” Boston Globe
But a study conducted by Stanford
University reveals that media
multitaskers “are not good at
switching tasks or ignoring irrelevant
information.” *
Instead, they’re just more easily
distracted from their goals. Image: americanvirus, Flickr.

7. Not all of our distractions are created equal. We engage more with
certain devices or content than we do with others.
Understanding our own level of investment in different digital
situations may help us cut out key distractions while working.
Image: Jakedavies8, Flickr.

8. The
hierarchy
of digital distractions
represents which interruptions
we find most disruptive to our lives.
Image: StephieWebb, Flickr.

9. Those that rank highest on
the pyramid are the most distracting.
Distractions which
rank lower are much
easier to ignore and will
quickly lose our attention
when something more
important occurs.
Image: Mark Mitchell, Flickr.

10. So what ranks in at
number one?
Image: radziu, Flickr.

11. Image: vickirainwater, Flickr.
Experiencing
device failure
is the biggest distraction.
It can cause us severe
digital pain.

12. An incoming
mobile phone call
is next in terms of
impact. Although they
might be rare, they’re
tough for us to ignore.
Image: Trey Ratcliff, Flickr.

13. Romantic e-mails,
text messages and tweets
come next on the hierarchy.
They capture our attention
since they’re a form of contact
with others and can make us
feel appreciated.
Image: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, Flickr.

14. Regular, personal
e-mails, online
dating messages,
voicemails and
Skype calls all fall
in the middle ground
of distraction.
Calls on a landline are also on
par with these types of
interruptions which – while not the
most exciting parts of our day – still
Image: *potato, the bad, Flickr. show us that we are wanted.

15. Less immediate forms of contact, such as messages on Skype,
Twitter and Facebook, have an even lower impact on us.
Image: bia * alvarez, Flickr.

16. Image: David Klein, Flickr.
If you use LinkedIn or
MySpace, you’ll find
updates from these social
media sites a relatively
minor distraction.
Also near the bottom are
Facebook invites and
friend requests, which
are thought to receive
mere automatic or
reflex responses.
Image: Mehfuz Hossain, Flickr.

17. Image: niovate, Flickr.
Last and therefore least in
the hierarchy is any type of
actual work.
Does this theory support the idea that constant connectivity is
hurting our performance at school and in the workplace?

18. Technopanic in the Classroom
While distracted
students are
nothing new, the
increase in
available avenues
of stimulation
could create a
permanent shift
in their ability to
focus.
Image: Wesley Fryer, Flickr.

19. Image: evaxebra, Flickr.
“Their brains are rewarded not for
staying on task but for jumping to the
next thing. The worry is we’re raising
a generation of kids in front of
screens whose brains are going to be
wired differently.”
– Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media
and Child Health

20. Distractions in the Workplace Can Quickly Add Up
More than just young students are being affected by technological
advances and having information at their fingertips:
Source: survey conducted by Harmon.ie of 500 international organizations.
“57% of work interruptions
now involve either using
collaboration and social tools
like email, social networks, text
messaging and IM, or
Digital
switching windows among
45% of workers disparate standalone tools and
distractions cause
can only work workers to lose
applications.”
for 15 minutes approximately
or less one hour’s worth
without of productivity
interruption. every day.

21. Desperate Times = Desperate Measures?
Some schools and
companies believe
unwired lecture halls
(or offices) and strict
gadget bans are the
answer for reclaiming
wandering attention. Image: nooccar, Flickr.

22. “We’re very seduced by
the little red light on
our BlackBerrys, by the
ping that tells us we’ve
got mail. We’re
vulnerable to that
feeling of being wanted
and being connected,
but we need some time
to be alone.”
- Sherry Turkle, author
of “Alone Together”
Image: Todd Klassy, Flickr.

23. Learning to manage digital distractions is becoming a
necessary part of life.
Image: rohaan2012, Flickr.
The ability to balance your desires (or reflexes) to check-
in, reply and update right away with the need to complete
a specific task is already a useful skill which will only
become increasingly important as time goes on.