On Continuous Partial Attention

Linda Stone

Linda Stone writes and speaks about trends in consumer technology. A former technology executive at Apple and Microsoft, she has done pioneering work in social technology. She is credited with coining the terms “continuous partial attention” (which you will hear more about in this video from the 2009 SIME conference, one of Europe’s largest conferences on the Internet and social-media trends) and “e-mail apnea,” or “a temporary absence or suspension of breathing, or shallow breathing, while doing e-mail.” As you watch this brief interview, think about how much technology you use in a day. What else are you doing while you use technology? Have you ever felt that technology inhibits your ability to pay full attention to only one thing? Pairing this video with Nicholas Carr’s “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” (p. 588), how do the “disorders” Linda Stone discusses reflect how Internet technology and social media have influenced human behavior?

Source: SIME

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Courtesy of Linda Stone and Sime

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