Connected Yet Distracted: Multitasking Among College Students

Abstract

In this study, 935 undergraduate college students from a regional four-year university responded to an online time-diary survey asking them to report their multitasking habits and practices while engaged in four main activities: reading voluntarily for fun, reading for academic purposes, watching television (TV), and using the Internet. Results showed that a majority of the students reported performing two or more tasks simultaneously, switching rapidly back and forth from one task to another. About half of the students also admitted that multitasking interfered with and influenced their ability to focus on core activities, such as reading for academic purposes. These findings have important implications for addressing media multitasking as a growing concern among college students.