Contrary to Myth, Older Adults Multitask With Media and Technologies, But Studying Their Multitasking Behaviors Can Be Challenging

Abstract

Background and Objectives The study’s objective was to explore older adults’ (aged 65 or older) descriptions of behavior related to multitasking with traditional and newer media/information and communication technologies (ICTs) and perceived benefits of such behavior, along with older adults’ preference for research methods used to study their multitasking behaviors. Employing common media-use measures that heavily rely on self-reporting in populations of older adults is challenging, especially given that patterns of media/ICT use are becoming increasingly complex. Cumulatively, people spend more time using media than they are aware of because of the tendency to use some forms of media simultaneously. As cognitive ability deteriorates with age, self-reported recollection of complex patterns of media/ICT use, such as multitasking, among older adults increases the threat to data accuracy. Research Design and Methods: Twenty-eight community-dwelling older adults in a Midwestern U.S. state participated in in-depth interviews (average length was 40 minutes) to discuss their use of traditional and newer media/technologies in combination with other activities and outline methods researchers should use to study such behaviors. Results Participants reported they engaged in multitasking behaviors similar to those of younger generations, with the difference in the higher extent of using traditional media and ICTs. They talked about multitasking with radio and television for “background noise” as being a rewarding experience. They perceived the effects of multitasking to be detrimental to attention and performance and attributed this media-use habit to individual psychological and demographic differences. They preferred ethnographic observation and keeping a paper-and-pencil diary as research methods to study multitasking among their peers. Data-logging methods were less popular because they raised privacy concerns among interviewees. Discussion and Implications Different types of traditional and newer media and technologies could be used differently in situations that require older adults to focus, relax, or be efficient. The findings suggest that future researchers strive for a compromise between data access and data accuracy when they select a research method to study media use among older adults.

Patterns of media use and leisure time among older adults

“…There are only 63 instances in which TV is reported as a secondary activity. Kononova et al (2019) suggest that older adults do indeed engage in multitasking with different media technologies but that this tends to be challenging to capture in self reports. 6.…”

“…There may be unique challenges to recalling radio listening, given its close integration with other activities. Listening to the radio does not require shifting attention from or stopping another activity; people tend to listen to radio “in the background” while engaging in other tasks, such as driving, crafting, or doing chores (Brown, 1992; Kononova et al, 2019). While participants did have an opportunity to list secondary tasks, the background or ambient nature of radio listening may make it harder to recall as a distinct activity, and reports of such activities may not have been efficiently elicited using the diary protocol employed in the DUST supplement.…”

Self-Control and Digital Media Addiction: The Mediating Role of Media Multitasking and Time Style

“… 27 What is more, one study found cross-cultural differences between American, Kuwaiti, and Russian students in terms of media multitasking behaviors. 28 Media multitasking was more prevalent among American and Kuwaiti students than Russian students. 28 On the individual level, media use was predicted by media ownership and sensation seeking.…”

“… 28 Media multitasking was more prevalent among American and Kuwaiti students than Russian students. 28 On the individual level, media use was predicted by media ownership and sensation seeking. In the Kuwaiti and Russian samples, females reported multitasking more often than males, whereas, in the American sample, men multitasked more than women.…”

“…For instance, computer ownership, Internet penetration, and press freedom were likely to predict more frequent simultaneous media use. 28 …”