Monday, August 31, 2009

Continuous Partial Attention

Add another term to our ever-growing list of issues associated with communication technology. Terms like "absent presence" began appearing when people started answering their cell phones while in the presence of a friend they were just talking with. What does the friend do while they are waiting? Absent presence.

Now a new term. (Disclaimer) I noticed this WSJ article when a link to it appeared on my facebook feed from a friend of mine. "Continous Partial Attention" is now used to describe people who are constantly checking email, texts, facebook and any other message constantly. This can create A.D.D.-like behavior in anyone plugged in to so many social networking sites. Some businesses are combatting this by having no-technology meetings.

The article describing this was actually about Generation Y's inability to read non-verbal cues. This is something that is going to affect all of us. Read about it HERE.