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Peter Helm Autoethnography

Technology As A Motivator To “Multitask”

As I went through my journals to find recurring actions and habits, I found that I often used technology to multitask. The temptation to have multiple tabs open, to use several electronic devices at once, and have some kind of media in the background was too great to resist, even in situations where concentration is necessary, such as when writing an essay or having a conversation with someone. I often situated myself so that I could multitask and my writing environments reflected a desire to do as much at once as possible.

One of my writing environments is the library. I like to use the dual monitors when doing online work. It allows me to have sources and notes on one screen and my essay on the other. It is also a great way to navigate different media sites and keep everything organized. I took a screenshot (figure 1) of what was going on with my monitors while I wrote my honors essay about slave narratives.

In the screenshot, you can see that I have a website called “Rainy Mood” open on the right monitor. It is a site that streams sounds of rain and occasional thunder. You can customize it with your own music from YouTube. I use sites like this to help stave off boredom and would like to think that they “help” me by providing a nice background and a way to avoid other distracting noise or what I think of as ‘intrusive’ silence. I collected evidence that contradicts this.

I wanted to see exactly how distracting these other sites were to me, so I kept track of how many times I navigated away from Microsoft Word to media sites like Rainy Mood, Pandora, or YouTube to change a song, go to a new media site, or become engrossed in some aspect of that site. I kept a tally count in my notebook (figure 2) and called it the “Distraction Log.” I became distracted by outside media sites no fewer than 133 times during my six hour stint at the library. If I spent an average of thirty seconds away from my paper each time, that means I wasted 67 minutes, or 19% of my study/work time. That does not take into account the time I took for bathroom breaks or zoned out in between writing spurts.

My other main writing environment is my apartment. I prefer to be there when I am reading or doing research rather than producing tangible work like an essay. In figures 3, 4, and 5 I am doing research for the same honors project I was working on at the library. I am doing the same kind of multitasking in these photos as I did at Bracken, with a third element of distraction thrown in. I had both of my laptops open to emulate the same kind of experience with the dual monitors at the library. I also had Netflix going


on in the background. It is harder to measure my “distractedness” with having a show in the background, so measuring how much I have watched will have to suffice. Since the summer session started, I have managed to watch two whole seasons of the American version of “Queer as Folk,” a total of 42 episodes. They average 40 minutes each. I have watched 28 hours while completing readings and assignments. I have a pretty good grasp on the plot of the series, so it is probably safe to say that my attention is divided. You can see the show in the background of figure 5.

The data that I have collected suggests that my use of technology during writing and my placement of it in my writing environments has a significant negative impact on my productivity. Though all external media (music websites, Netflix, etc.) is meant to be background for my assignments, I find myself engaging with it constantly.

Writing as a Utility

This assignment called upon us to analyze the writing we do in our everyday life. Most of the writing I discussed in my journals was practical and a means to an end, rather than creative or academic in nature. I used technology in all of my writing or at least used it as a means to record, transfer, or alter it. In writing that was not done on a computer or phone, I often used a digital device to assist me (looking up definitions, taking pictures, etc.)

On the first day I kept a journal, I was asked to make a training document by one of my managers at work. We recently hired a bunch of hosts and I typed up a one page guide (figure 6) to taking togo orders and phone etiquette to help them out. I used the desktop in the office to write it up. This piece of writing was very informal. Its practical purpose was to disseminate information.

That same day I also used an app on my phone called “Turbo Scanner” to scan the notes from my honors class and upload it to Dropbox. The notes were practical in nature. They were informal and I made them so that I could record and remember information from class. I did not use technology to create the document, however the app on my phone was very useful in converting it into a format that I can use include in this autoethnography (see figure 7).

I also used my phone to write text messages. The most memorable conversation was with my mom. I helped her set up proxy access to my bsu banner. It consisted mostly of step by step instructions. I have not included screenshots of it here because sensitive financial information was disclosed during the conversation.


On day two, I biked to the cardinal greenway and to one of the parks on the south side of Muncie to have a change of scenery as I did the reading of New Jim Crow for my honors course. On my way there, I passed graffiti. I took pictures with my iPhone and used them as inspiration for my honors essay (see figures 8-10). I touched briefly on representation, power, ownership, and how they are related to art forms such as graffiti and tattoos. Once I got to the park (pictured in figure 11), I sat down underneath a pavilion to do my reading and took notes on the notepad on my phone. I used technology (my phone) to facilitate writing (I used the graffiti for my essay) and also to write my notes. This interaction between writing and technology helped facilitate my writing. Technology, in this case, served as a method to record aspects of my environment. This differs from my earlier examples in the distraction section where technology served as the actual environment (monitors/media surrounding me).

Conclusion

I analyzed technology use in relation to my writing practices and found that digital devices help form my environment and writing spaces. This is both beneficial and detrimental. My research produced evidence that my exposure to media while using technology to write is a major distractor and negatively impacts my productivity. Technology is beneficial in that it helps me complete daily tasks and makes transferring information and recording text and pictures easy.

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Figure 6

Togo Training/Greeter Seater Phone Etiquette

Answering the phone: “Muncie Texas Roadhouse. This is _________ how can I help

you?”

Read back the order every time and ask if it sounds right

Give a quote time. 2025 minutes when we aren’t busy. 25 if we are. 30 if we have a lot of orders or

your caller requests a cut of steak larger than we advertise on the menu.

UPSELL: Ask about smothered steaks (“would you like sauteed mushroom or onion on your steak?).

Ask about loaded baked and sweet potatoes (“would you like bacon and cheddar on your baked

potato?” “Would you like sweet caramel and marshmallows on your sweet potato?”)

Ring in the order ASAP or give it to your TogoHost because it might be late otherwise. Take care of

customers in the order they come in/call. If the phone rings while you’re helping a customer, put the

person on the phone on hold. (Make sure to remember what line they’re on!). If the phone rings again

and it says “RECALL”, then ignore it and answer it like you would if they were still on hold.

Don’t answer the phone after 10 sundaythursday, 11 on friday and saturday. If someone calls close

to closing time, put them on hold and ask a manager if you should tell them to pick up their food at the

bar.

When you’re by yourself and you hear the phone ring while you’re in the kitchen, put them on hold

and answer them in the togo room.

When someone orders a steak, always make sure to ask how they would like it cooked and what

size cut.

Rolls: 4 with each order. 6 with three entrees. 8 with four entrees. 10 with five entrees, and so on

(add two with each meal after the first two)

Menu knowledge

Know basic things like how many sides come with what, a complete list of sides, what comes on

salads, what comes with certain things (Bacon with dinner salads, peppercorn with pork chops, lemon

with ALL seafood, tartar sauce with salmon, creole with catfish, etc.), sizes of steaks. You don’t have to

know everything. If someone has a question, feel free to say “one moment” and reference a menu.

If there’s nothing to do:

If packaging, help run food, salads, and appetizers, stock lids and cups, do trays of honey butter,

stock cooler, stock ice, wipe down packaging area

Split check/seat, meat cuts on ribeye, modifier, carrots, labeling honey butter and

condiments, claiming tips, assigning cash drawers, reviewing orders with customers,

closing, opening, schedule, rolls, menu, TOGO bread/water/kids bev,

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