2023 Author: Jake Johnson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 23:11
What do we call “Multitasking”? And, what consequences does it have for mental and emotional he alth?
Multi-task is an Anglo-Saxon term that could be translated as multi-task or multiple tasks. It implies the possibility, accentuated by technological devices, of carrying out several tasks at the same time. This, which has become an increasingly widespread reality, has, however, its consequences at the level of he alth mental.
In the first place, this multiple modality of doing that implies the simultaneity of tasks and processes is becoming more and more frequent. Technological devices inevitably lead to this because allow multiple channels to be open at the same time. In this way, like windows on a computer, one task communicates with another, generating multiple simultaneous processes and chains.
Watching a series, while responding to messages on your phone, while writing upcoming tasks on a list, or scrolling on a social network, has been transformed in a daily reality. In the younger generations this is even more accentuated, while the digital natives, and above all, those of more recent generations do not know any other reality than this. So for them it is even more the "normal" way of acting.
Sif technology gives us access to benefits and allows us toaccess to a lot of information without delay, this modality also has negative consequences, leading to alter processes and make them considerably difficult in many cases.
The wide range of options that we have today in communications and access to information, leaves us responsible for an increasing number of decisions and actions that limit our consumption. As there are fewer possibilities, there are also fewer decisions to be made. As the options increase, the more we must try to choose and channel, so as not to be overwhelmed with all these variants.
There is a paradox here, insofar as we must limit what has the characteristic of generating dependency. In other words, it confronts us with restrict what has everything to become addictive. So controlling and limiting it is not as free as it is supposed to be.
More and more we notice this in relation to technology. It seeps into our daily lives so much that we even overlook or don't record the time we spend on it. This lack of boundaries between the individual and technology is so complex that it prevents full conscious use.
The multitasking mode is also installed as an ultra-adaptive mode in this consumer society. Being everywhere at once seems to be a growing demand. This unfolding would allow us to work and, at the same time, consume, buy.
Unfortunately Multi¡tasking has its consequencesnegative. It hinders the processes of learning and retention of information, added to memory difficulties. It increases anxiety and considerably alters the ability to concentrate. It generates a feeling of confusion and mental disorganization, which can lead to states of chaos or exhaustion very quickly. It makes it difficult to register one's own physical and psychological needs, as it allows a very significant influx of information that often exceeds the processing and metabolism capacity. It also hinders the dimension of cycles and processes around what we do, leading in many cases to non-completion and procrastination.
It is very important, then, to observe this aspect of the breadth of possibilities that technology offers, to question it a little, generating the possibility of choice and limits in a more conscious way.
