- Do you think you are able to multi-task effectively? Justify why you think you can or cannot multi-task effectively. Provide at least two detailed examples to support your argument.
Personally, I do not think I am able to multi-task effectively although I used to think that I did. What looks like an efficient way of doing things is actually proving to be ineffective for me. For instance, I would do my assignments while Facebook and Twitter are on and on the side, I would also chat with friends who are online on Facebook. I do this while surfing the internet as well. As a result, my academics is suffering a bit because I am not focused and there are a lot of distractions everywhere, including cell phones, iPads, and television.
In addition, because I do not give my tasks or activities my full attention, for instance, when chatting with several friends, I sometimes type in the wrong chat box and share the wrong information to someone else.
- How do bursts of concentration affect you doing schoolwork?
I do not think having bursts of concentration is a good thing when doing schoolwork because instead of allowing me to fully focus on the subject, my mind wanders to another task, thus, I am easily distracted. As a result, instead of finishing my tasks ahead of time, it takes a long while for me to complete assignments. In addition, my train of thought is easily distracted, which hinders me from thinking freely and analyzing my school assignments.
- How has the internet changed your personal relationships? Give an example of how it has changed your personal relationships for the better. Give an example how it has changed your personal relationships for the worse.
The internet has changed my personal relationships drastically. While it seems like the internet is robbing me of precious time with family and friends, I think it is somehow helping me solidify my relationships with them. For one, our family has grown closer over the years because during the time when my parents were not computer savvy, they used to ask me how to do things on the computer and the internet, thus, giving us more time to spend with one another. In addition, it has allowed us faster communication with family and friends who live far away, as the internet has made it easier for us to stay connected. On the other hand, the internet has also paved the way for some of my relationships to feel like it is too impersonal, as we are able to communicate better on the internet, but not on the personal level. For instance, sharing jokes on the internet made us use computer jargons such as “LOL” and “LMAO” to describe laughter, but those can never substitute the real sounds of laughter, which has a wonderful way of uplifting the spirits. I realized that sharing the same joke in reality also elicits a different reaction than when shared on the internet.
- Where do you think we are headed? How do you see the internet affecting your daily life in the next two years?
In the next two years, I think I will still be a heavy user of the internet considering that we live in an era of technological advancements. In the next years, more advancement in software and hardware will be invented, thus, to ensure that I am able to preserve the quality of my relationships with my family, I must make a conscious effort to spend more time with them. As I join the workforce and become a productive member of society, I see myself traveling the world and still communicating with love ones through the internet.
- What is your overall reaction to the documentary? What did you find surprising?
I think the documentary speaks the truth about how multitasking affects an individual’s quality of output and how technology causes a new addition called computer addiction. Multitasking makes individuals think that they are able to accomplish a lot of things, when in fact, the more they are lowering the quality of output they produce when they are attending to various tasks at once. I found this surprising because doing several tasks at once seem like one is accomplishing a lot, but in reality, although an individual completes one task, all other activities are bound to suffer or produce undesirable results. For instance, using the phone while studying and replying to emails and chat messages could result to interchanged messages. While it may seem to address an individual’s need to complete several tasks at the same time, I now think that multitasking is an ineffective way of accomplishing things (Dretzin & Rushcoff).
Works Cited
Dretzin, Rachel, & Rushcoff, Douglas. “Digital Nation.” PBS.org. 2010. Video.
