When I first began reading Kirn’s “The Autumn of the Multitaskers” I struggled to identify what exactly the article was about. Was Kirn commenting on the small town he grew up in? The inventions of the thirty-something brothers? The political action in the Middle East? It all seemed a little confusing to me. When I turned off my itunes, logged out of Facebook, and focused on the article, I knew EXACTLY what he was talking about.
Kirn’s article is closely linked with our society today. As a college student, I regularly see my peers eating while studying, watching television while studying, and listening to music while studying. Growing up my parents always reminded me to focus on the homework in front of me and leave the distractions for later. Now in college, it is rare to find a student JUST studying.
However, Kirn doesn’t put himself above the multitaskers he is commenting on. Instead he categorizes his self as one. Including his personal experience with a car accident caused by a cell phone gives Kirn authority to comment on the topic. He has seen the negative side effects it can cause and hopes through his article, to inform others.
I enjoyed the quotes Kirn embeds in his article from actors and politicians. It proves that multi-tasking isn’t only done by students trying to complete a homework assignment. It is done by Bill Clinton, Jennifer Connelly, Robert Pittman, and Rudolph Giuliani…just to name a few. Everyone is guilty of trying to get as much done in the shortest amount of time possible, It just doesn’t always give us the best results.
Kirn concludes his article by mentioning the Microsoft software he introduced in his lead. He reminds the reader to get away from the hustle life brings and reminds us to get away, and think clearly.
I especially like that he puts himself at the same level as everyone else out there because no one can deny the act of multitasking. He even brings those people (Bill Clinton, Rudolph Giuliani...) we consider "higher" than ourselves down to our level by giving examples of their multitasking habits. A lot of the commentaries we have read could only be attributed to a narrow audience, but I think Kirn really includes everyone in his commentary (at least everyone with the capability to multitask). While a large audience could appreciate it, the sexual references are the only thing that narrow down his audience a little bit. Regardless, it is a great piece that teaches its readers a very valuable lesson at the end - not through lecturing, but through owning up to his own mistakes, which we have all committed.
ReplyDeleteI liked the piece in that most of the humourous situations he described I was able to relate to in at least some capacity.
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