Multitasking in the world of disruptive technologies

Abstract

The review paper analyses the recent discussions on the effects of multitasking in new ICT environments from the point of view of cognitive psychology. Large reviews do show that in real life settings multitasking has negative effects mainly by consuming time. Classroom studies indicate that multitasking decreases reading speed. While it is clear that the effect of disruptive technologies is through social reinforcement, the issue of curiosity requires further study. It is a central issue how to educate self-conscious users, who maintain long term task consciousness.