I have become a "bad student." I can no longer wander an art museum without asking a bazillion questions that the docent doesn't know or won't answer or desperately wanting access to information that goes beyond what's on the brochure (like did you know that Rafael died from having too much sex!?!?!). I can't pay attention in a lecture without looking up relevant content. And, in my world, every meeting and talk is enhanced through a backchannel of communication.

Researcher danah boyd talks about the constant need to blog, twitter or look up stuff on your mobile phone - in her words, «enhancing through a backchannel of communication».

I have experienced similar situations - conferences with 1200 attendees and almost as many opened laptops which people (sometimes) used to blog or twitter about the speech being given, but mostly to update their facebook status or play videogames.

Is that a bad thing? boyd is probably right that attention wasn't necessarily bigger at conferences before everyone had a laptop on their knees. But I still feel that focusing on one! thing! only! is becoming a problem for our generation which is so used to constant ambient awareness and streams of information.