Digital distraction

Abstract

Digital distraction is distraction due to electronic devices and media that breaks the concentration from the main piece of work that is being done. It could be due to the excessive use of technology in this new era where people find it difficult to stay without being connected virtually. 24/7 people are bombarded with messages, notifications, pings that make it impossible to focus/concentrate on the work you are currently doing. When the industrial era began, the concept of working in fixed hours in factories started. They were getting paid for the hours spent and any amount of distractions from the work meant loss of productivity. This loss of productivity increased when internet age started and people started staying connected through means of internet. People find it difficult to sit and complete a project or a task at work without checking an email, texting on the phone, reading an article on internet, etc. According to the Information Overload Research Group, a quarter of our workday is lost to information overload online. According to Gloria Mark, who studies digital distraction at the University of California it takes 23 minutes 15 seconds to return to original task you are doing once you are interrupted. So, the distraction that is experienced due to that one Facebook message, a small blog read is not just that time you spent on that but the time that is wasted after the act. Those distractions derail the mind for longer time which hurts the productivity. There is some cost associated every time you switch your focus from one thing to another called the "switch cost". This may not be a major issue if you are doing something rote and simple but the impact could be much greater if you are trying to complete a complex task.