New media promotes multi-tasking, study finds

       A new study found that new media is eating up more of our time, especially social media. The study, conducted by Experian Simmons, found the top five activities that use our time are sleeping (6.1 hrs), working (6.6 hrs), watching television (3 hrs), surfing the net at home (2.4 hrs), listening to the radio (1.7 hrs) and reading books (1.5 hrs).  Note that surfing the net is now third and right behind watching television. 

       The study found, not surprisingly, that we multi-task among all of these. And Internet use tops the list. Twenty-seven percent of us admit to doing something else while surfing the net. That was the top category; other top ones were using a cell phone (26 percent) and emailing (23 percent).

      I'll admit to my own addiction to the Internet. I find myself grabbing up a laptop just about whenever I start watching television. It's not unusual in my household to find everyone in the house (up to five of us depending on who's visiting) watching the same television show on as many as three screens, all of us with a computer.  Probably the worst was when my daughter and I had a lengthy Facebook i.m. session while sitting in adjoining chairs watching television (OK, we were trying not to disturb the others also watching the show so it's not as lame as it sounds).