I'll pick out the paragraph that sticks with me the most:
> Then again, perhaps we will simply adjust and come to accept what James called “acquired inattention.” E-mails pouring in, cell phones ring- ing, televisions blaring, podcasts streaming—all this may become back- ground noise, like the “din of a foundry or factory” that James observed workers could scarcely avoid at first, but which eventually became just another part of their daily routine. For the younger generation of multi- taskers, the great electronic din is an expected part of everyday life. And given what neuroscience and anecdotal evidence have shown us, this state of constant intentional self-distraction could well be of profound detri- ment to individual and cultural well-being. When people do their work only in the “interstices of their mind-wandering,” with crumbs of atten- tion rationed out among many competing tasks, their culture may gain in information, but it will surely weaken in wisdom.
I've recently become very aware of the cognitive load of popup notifications, phone push notifications, etc. I went for a week during which I turned off all of these, and once I turned them on again, I was surprised by how incredibly irritated they made me, not to mention much less productive.
YMMV - I just would like us all to make these decisions consciously for ourselves, rather than passively.