I am always seeing patterns in the noise. Recently I have found that Linda Stone's "continuous partial attention" is affecting my offline life. Patterns of behavior that I am internalizing online carryover into my offline life. So, I have coined the term "age of distraction" to describe what I think we are moving into. Let me explain. First,

Multitasking becomes continuous partial attention One possible response to the explosion of devices and access is the development of "continuous partial attention"

Second, after continuous partial attention, we enter an era in which the ability to focus on anything for long periods of time diminishes. In effect, using technologies like RSS and cellphones, we have trained ourselves to be constantly aware and on the lookout for distractions. Hey look at that shiny thing over there!

The Problem with Wi-Fi in the Classroom The pervasiveness of wireless Internet access is also creating new challenges for teachers and students.

Third, we begin to ask if maybe it we have it backwards, as Joi Ito does here:

Is my obsession a feature or a bug? We talked about the hyper-focus that ADD provides and ways that you can use ADD to do things many people can't do.

In other words, maybe the new behavior is adaptive instead of maladaptive. In fact, maladaptive refers not to a behavior, but rather, to a relationship between a behavior and the environment in which it is practiced. So, maybe just maybe, it isn't the new behavior that needs to be adapted to the old environment, but instead it is that we need the old environments to transform into line with the new environments in which we practice our new behaviors.