The Older You Are, the Better You Multi-Task (If You're a Woman)
New data released by Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI) gives us insight into how men and women engage in "simultaneous media use" - that is, surfing the net while also doing some other activity like watching TV. According to the study, it's more common for women to watch TV and use the computer than it is for men. What's more, women supposedly get better at this multi-tasking as they age.
Reports IMMI, U.S. women between 15 and 48 who watch TV and use an internet-connected computer average 17.5 minutes per day of this simultaneous media usage, compared with only 15.7 minutes for men. And the highest simultaneous usage was among females 30-39, at 23.3 minutes per day. That was more than double the time males in the same age group spent, at 10.6 minutes.
Even more interesting is that the simultaneous media usage for men decreases the older they get, but for women it's the opposite. Up until the age of 40, it's the women who are the better multi-taskers. Amanda Welsh, head of research for IMMI, thought the trend was surprising, given the amount of sports-related programming on the web. What does this mean? She says that they're interpreting the data to mean that "women are more inclined to multi-task than men."
What About the Digital Natives?
Arguing against hard data is difficult, but we have to agree with Amanda - this information is surprising. It seems to support the age-old theory that women, because of their "natural" abilities as mothers and in running the household, have some sort of innate multi-tasking abilities that allow them to engage in different activities at the same time more often (and the subtext implies "better") than men.
But is that still accurate? We're not entirely sure. The ability to take part in different activities when surfing the web is something today's teens and young adults, aka the "millennials'" or "Generation Y," also reportedly do well. Because this generation grew up with the internet a part of their world from the day they arrived, multi-tasking while online just became a normal part of their existence - for both boys and girls. Surfing the net while instant messaging, listening to music, and/or watching TV, is something that this younger generation of internet users are known for. And since these millennials are a part of the age range (15-48) involved in this study, you would think their learned multi-tasking behavior would have some impact on the reported results. But Instead, the results seem to uphold the more traditional view about women and their multi-tasking abilities.
Then Again, Multi-tasking Could Be a Myth
This idea of multi-tasking being a skill to boast about is left over from the days when technology like desktop PCs and email systems were being integrated into the workplace. Suddenly, HR managers were looking for "multi-taskers" able to focus on several different aspects of the job at the same time. However, in later years, it's been discovered that multi-tasking is more myth than reality, since the human brain can only really focus on one thing at a time, no matter how many activities a person is engaged in. The new advice for increased productivity is to slack off, work simpler, and ditch multi-tasking altogether.
So perhaps women sit in the living room with notebook PCs on their lap more often than men, but let's be honest - they aren't multi-tasking. They're just tuning out the TV to engage in something more interesting instead; the internet.
Image credit: woman and TV, flickr user Pink Ponk
Comments
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Great article. It's true what they say. Every time management book says that multitasking is not the way to go.
Posted by: Shevonne
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January 19, 2009 7:10 AM
Here is an interesting blog post about the subject of new studies.
A new study has found you shouldn’t believe every "new study"
One just have to be very careful about blindly endorsing new studies.
Check the book 'Flow' by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flow-Classic-Work-Achieve-Happiness/dp/0712657592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231278621&sr=8-1)
It explains how true creativity sparks from getting totally absorbed by a single task you're doing...
http://www.tomvanlerberghe.com/?p=765
Good reading for those with 16 monitors open right now :) I remember multi-tasking ....
@Charlie 16 monitors or windows? LOL :)
I guess I should stop mentioning in job cover letters that I can multitask, but rather say I can juggle a lot of priorities!
Nice article. The results really interesting.
Sarah, I think you're right on--this isn't about multitasking so much as being bored during commercials or not really liking whatever awful show is on TV.
It also reminds me of those moms who sit and knit while they watch TV. It's just something else to keep busy.
Multitasking can result in poorer performance in each task area, unless one is really focused on one of the tasks and largely ignoring the other.
Traditionally, women may have more experience in multitasking, especially with the television on, such as folding laundry at the same time and running into the kitchen periodically to check on dinner. I rarely focus all of my attention on television, DVDs, or music. When I'm working, however, I am generally focused just on the task at hand, rather than trying to work on more than one file at a time; there I need to concentrate fully on one thing.
have to admit that girls are more likely to do more thing at the same time.
Posted by: pestwave
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January 19, 2009 11:56 PM
Let's stop these silly gender studies. With these kinds of outdated silly surveys you can prove pretty much anything you intended to prove.
I've seen both men and women, depending on personality more than gender, who can juggle priorities based on the needs of the moment, and the same men and women goof up time and again. That's why a survey taken in one moment in time based on one's own self-reported thoughts is an idiotic way to "study" anything.
People, regardless of gender or race or some arbitrary attribute, will universally go for what seems interesting to them at any given time. It's not "TV vs Internet". That's a hackneyed debate. When TV is interesting we watch TV. Internet is a default fallback because we choose what we want. When IPTV becomes a reality, this entire debate will be moot.
My wife and I fit the older group here - she has the TV on all the time when she is working on the computer. She also only pays minimal attention to it and sometimes can't tell you what the program is about. She is a machine at the keyboard and incredibly focused on what she is writing/coding. I don't watch as much TV because if I'm going to watch TV, I'm actually paying attention to the show, fast forward through commercials, etc. Not a scientific study, but I don't think the TV and computing usage differences tell us anything about multi-tasking - I think that is an entirely separate question that needs better study to know if there are gender differences in processing.
I'm a 59 year old female and I multitask constantly. I was well trained to split attention between children, household, husband and my job for 30 years. I am now a high technology user and find it to be a very useful skill to split between TweetDeck, email, blogs, wikis, Elluminate presentations, my secretary coming into my office and my day-to-day work. I have multiple windows open throughout the day as reminders of what needs to be accomplished by day's end.