The Internet is like a travel machine. It has different information floating around. We can explore whatever we want by searching the Internet. To keep us abreast of information or news, we often end up opening lots of tabs, with the wish that we can always go back to it and not miss out on things.
Tab page, in the eyes of many people, may be considered a great convenience. It was invented by a software developer named Adam Stiles in 1998. Tab allows us to wander on various topics and conduct different searches simultaneously on a computer, a blessing to multitaskers.
Ever since this invention, we also observe an increasing number of tab hoarders, who keep countless tabs on their Windows and resist closing the tab pages even when they never open them again.
The Ambivalence of Excessive Tabs
Research by Carnegie Mellon University discovered that a moderate amount of tab pages allows study respondents to feel productive and in control of the tasks. However, on average, respondents felt stressed when they opened up to 8 tabs. Of those 103 respondents in the study, 55% found it difficult to close the tabs because they contained information they might need or want. Given they had invested considerable amount of time and effort with the tabs, even though too many tabs distressed them, they still found it difficult to close the tabs and were stuck in a dilemma.
Some people describe this as “Internet FOMO” (Internet Fear of Missing Out). It can also be psychological precommitment to opening pages in advance to plan on what to browse during one’s spare time. It can also be a form of procrastination – leaving the tabs open and the related task for tomorrow.
Wandering Thoughts Becoming a Wild Goose Chase?
Every time we switch tasks between tabs, our brain needs time to reengage. The higher the complexity of the job, the longer the reengaging time needed and the higher the time cost will be. Studies have found that high-level multitaskers performed worse on cognitive tests than non-multitaskers. They had a lower density of grey matter that governs thinking, calculating, and concentrating. They were more likely to lose focus during job transitions, which reduces their depth of involvement.
In Japanese, there is a term “tsundoku” (積ん読) to describe “buying books but letting them pile up in one's home without reading them.” The meaning of “tab-tsundoku” is to pile up a large amount of tab pages yet not read them. By opening and hoarding tab pages, people may think that they are exploring and learning new things, the brain reward system then produces dopamine, which reinforce people to continue with tab hoarding. However, hoarding does not equate to acquiring the knowledge hidden inside the tabs, obviously.
Maybe it’s time for you to look at your own row of tab pages and ponder how these tiny, long boxes might contribute to your work efficiency and productivity?
References:
Uncapher, M. R., & Wagner, A. D. (2018). Minds and brains of media multitaskers: Current findings and future directions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115(40), 9889–9896. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611612115
Loh, K. K., & Kanai, R. (2014). Higher media multi-tasking activity is associated with smaller gray-matter density in the anterior cingulate cortex. PloS one, 9(9), e106698. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0106698
Wegmann, E., Oberst, U., Stodt, B., & Brand, M. (2017). Online-specific fear of missing out and Internet-use expectancies contribute to symptoms of Internet-communication disorder. Addictive Behaviors Reports, 5, 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.abrep.2017.04.001
Multitasking: Switching costs. (2006).
Think You're Multitasking? Think Again. (2008).
Yes, You Have Too Many Tabs Open on Your Computer—and Your Brain is Probably to Blame. (2019).
