How Multitasking Impairs Writing

On a recent PBS "Frontline" program, Stanford University professor Clifford Nass discussed the impact of multitasking on today's students:

...You already hear professors and others talking about changes in the way kids write, so that instead of writing an essay, they write in paragraphs, because what happens is, they write a paragraph, and they say, "Oh, now I'll look at Facebook for a while." Or they write a paragraph and say, "Oh, chance to play poker," or whatever other activity they want, or to do all of these at once.

So what we're seeing is less of a notion of a big idea carried through and much more little bursts and snippets. And we see that across media, across film, across, in Web sites, this idea of just do a little bit and then you can run away.

This trend emphasizes the importance of books, which help foster an ability to understand -- and communicate -- complex thoughts.