The Effect of Program Genre on Modes of Media Multitasking and Ad Processing

Despite many studies on the effect of MM on advertising, previous studies on MM considered MM a homogenous phenomenon. Further, whether and how media-related factors predict different modes of MM and how this behavior affects ad processing has been unknown. To fill this gap, the purpose of this study was to examine (a) the effect of program-genre on the occurrence of different modes of media multitasking (MM; utilitarian MM vs. hedonic MM) and (b) how different modes of MM influence the way viewers process ads on the primary screen (i.e., computer screen). A lab-based experiment yielded data for testing the hypotheses. The findings suggest that findings suggest that MM can be classified into two distinct modes: utilitarian MM and hedonic MM. Further, the findings show that participants who watched the sitcom tended to engage in a higher amount of utilitarian MM than those who watched the suspenseful drama; however, both groups engaged in a comparable amount of hedonic MM. The findings also indicate that participants who watched the sitcom demonstrated a lower level of ad memory than those who watched the suspenseful drama. The current study provides meaningful theoretical implications. Further, this study provides useful implications for advertising practitioners and marketers.

Family Context Surrounding the Use of Technologies and Their Impact in Adolescents’ Media Multitasking

Recent studies pointed out that practically all adolescents are regular users of information and communications technology (ICT). Since the most usual context for the use of technology is the home, our aim is, on the one hand, to characterize the family technology context among adolescents aged between 11 and 18 years and, on the other hand, to analyse the relationship between multitasking and the different variables found within this family context. Participants were 977 adolescents. Significant relationship between the number of devices in the home and the frequency with which these are used are showed. Although a 60% of the adolescents have no parental rules over this use, there does not appear to be any relationship between the existence, or lack thereof, of rules over the use of ICT and multitasking. To reduce adolescents amount of media multitasking, we would recommend having fewer devices in the home rather than imposing rules about their use.

Impact of media multitasking on executive function in adolescents: behavioral and self-reported evidence from a one-year longitudinal study

PurposeThe longitudinal impact of media multitasking on the development of executive function has been understudied, as most of the existing studies are cross-sectional. This longitudinal study addresses this research gap and uses multiple measures, i.e. behavioral and self-reported, to explore the impact of media multitasking on the executive function of Chinese adolescents.Design/methodology/approachThis study followed 99 Chinese adolescents (Mage = 14.41, SD = 1.10; 42 boys and 57 girls) for one year using both behavioral (2-back, Stroop Color and Number-letter tasks) and self-reported (questionnaire) measures. The adolescents were categorized as either heavy/high media multitaskers (HMMs; 19 boys and 29 girls) or light/low media multitaskers (LMMs; 23 boys and 28 girls). They were tested at baseline, 6 months later and 12 months later.FindingsThe results indicated that the accuracy scores for all cognitive tasks differed with age, but the switch-cost in the shifting task and the self-reported measures of executive function did not. And there were consistent differences between the HMMs and LMMs in the self-reported measures and 2-back accuracy. However, the interaction effect was found only in shifting ability, indicating a decline in the LMMs' self-reported problematic shifting behavior in daily life.Originality/valueThis study used behavioral and self-reported measures to confirm the longitudinal impact of media multitasking on executive function. The impact of media multitasking on executive function is more apparent in daily-life behavior than in cognitive task performance.

Effect of Smartphone Distractions on Cognitive Performance in Adolescents: An Electroencephalography Approach

Introduction: The dependence on smartphones has become widespread among all age groups in every realm of daily life. There has been increased concern about the adverse effects of problematic smartphone use and media multitasking among adolescents. Recent studies used various performance measures like questionnaire surveys to examine the association between smartphone addiction and learning performance, and such studies have yielded mixed findings. The current study investigates the effects of media multitasking on cognitive performance using Electroencephalography (EEG) features and a self-report questionnaire survey. Methods: The patterns of smartphone use among adolescents in South India were investigated in this study, using a questionnaire survey. Further, the impact of smartphone usage on cognitive task performance was examined using EEG features. For this, EEGs of twenty-two healthy subjects were recorded during learning tasks before and after using a social networking site on smartphones. Subsequently, various EEG features were extracted, including ratios of wavelet decomposed EEG bands, attention index, and Sample entropy. Finally, these cognitive performance indices were evaluated and compared with a control group. Results: A total of 600 healthy individuals (341 males, 259 females) participated in the survey among whom, 310 (50.91%) belonged to the high-user group. Performance degradation (p=0.005), sleep problems (p=0.040) and mental stress (p=0.049) were more prevalent among the high-user group. A significant decline in EEG-based cognitive performance indices was also observed in the phone-use group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the importance of controlling phone use when engaged in cognitive tasks. The study also offers an insight to develop neurofeedback techniques that enhance cognitive skills.

A Theory of Media Multitasking Intensity

This article first situates media multitasking in the changing media ecology. Then, grounded in concepts of stress and flow, limited capacity, and threaded cognition, it develops a four-dimensional theory of media multitasking intensity. Based on the key aspects of media multitasking intensity, the subsequent section proposes two primary influences (executive functioning and self-regulation) and one primary outcome (general stress). An application example focuses on several media multitasking issues and the stress outcome for adolescents within their family environment. The final section suggests a few key methodological implications for studying the theory of media multitasking intensity (self-report, and both temporal and social contexts). The theory of media multitasking intensity generates insights about the functional (i.e., valuable) variation within experiences of media as they overlap with and interrupt experiences of the physical and mediated world.

Exploitation–Exploration Model of Media Multitasking

Media multitasking has been long considered as a distraction, as something that is inherently negative or irrational. Yet, casual observations and study findings indicate that in the current permanently online, permanently connected society, people still media multitask frequently, sometimes in spite of their knowledge of the costs. In this article, we introduce the exploitation–exploration model of media multitasking (EEMMM), which proposes that media multitasking occurs as a natural part of the waxing and waning of our task engagement: When primary task engagement (exploitation) begins to wane, alternative tasks become more attractive (exploration). In the first part of this paper, we delineate the limitations of the current perspective of media multitasking as a distraction. The second part provides an exposition for our model: What defines behavior exploitation and exploration, and why maintaining an optimal trade-off between the two is important; the everyday, media-related cues for exploiting and exploring; and the neurobiological evidence of a brain system that supports the transition from exploitation to exploration. Lastly, we show how our approach may explain why people media multitask spontaneously and in spite of their knowledge of the costs, and why not all media multitaskers are able to multitask optimally. We conclude the paper with an agenda for future media multitasking research based on the proposed framework.