According to Dr. Gloria Mark, we spend an average of just 47 seconds on any screen before shifting our attention and it takes 25 minutes to bring that attention back to a task after an interruption. And that we interrupt ourselves more than we're interrupted by others. Also, did you know that that we can only focus on one thing at a time? Or that multi-tasking doesn’t really work or lead to greater efficiency or better outcomes. Or that cognitive fatigue is a thing? Or that having a mobile electronic ‘brain’ permanently attached to us (one that does the thinking, remembering and problem-solving for us) is down-regulating our actual biological brain? Technology is not bad (of course) but we need to learn how to co-exist with it in a healthy and sustainable way. Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and studies the impact of digital media on people’s lives. She takes a deep dive in examining multitasking, interruptions, and mood with the use of digital devices. She has published over 200 articles. Enjoy.
