Enticing titles and images of puppies! Increasingly, in popular literature and life, we are hearing about the how the modern world is designed to attract and capture our attention. Through clever digital algorithms, catchy marketing or a myriad of other tricks of behavioural psychology, some now consider attention to be the scarcest of resources and the target for corporates, governments and entertainers alike.
One of the parents of psychology, William James’ definition of attention is often cited: “Attention … is the taking possession by the mind, in clear and vivid form, ….it implies withdrawal from some things in order to deal effectively with others, and is a condition which has a real opposite in the confused, dazed, scatter brained state which in French is called distraction, and Zerstreutheit in German.”
How often at the end of a busy day of emails arriving, socials notification pinging, SMS’s arriving, phones ringing and chats with colleagues and family do we feel dazed and confused? That’s your attention being pulled in a million directions all at once.
We lament our teens locked into screens by the apps designed to capture attention, of the opportunities missed, the sport not played, the books not read. Their attention, like yours, is captured, commodified and served up to potential sellers.
While not exactly a new phenomenon, it is amplified in a digitally connected world where interconnectedness leads us to feel as if we are drinking from the firehose of information, knowledge and action.
How do you value your attention? How do you stay present? What do you model for your family?
Attention is the new labour, the new capital, the new gold.
