STOLEN FOCUS

 

Have you increasingly felt you’ve lost your ability to focus? That the distractions keep coming at you? You’re not alone. And it’s not you. It is by design. Yes, the tech giants WANT to keep you online on that ‘infinite scroll’.

STOLEN FOCUS by JOHANN HARI is carefully researched as he delves into how our society is losing its ability to think deeply. And at a time when we need it most.  With the speed of everything coming at us, what we do is ‘scan and skim’, leaning towards the simpler stories, the quick bites, the sparkly bits. We absorb less and less.

But what is chilling is: this is the INTENTION of the algorithm design. To keep us scrolling online, liking and arguing, while they collect data on us, to…of course, sell more to us, because it’s all about ‘economic growth’.  HARI’s research into this book led him to many experts and social scientists in the field and the revelations that the algorithms on social media encourage us to ‘condemn more, understand less’.  

Because ‘if it’s more enraging, it’s more engaging’.

As a society, we have been deluded into thinking we can ‘multi-task’ (a term originally applied to computers). Our brain can only process one or two thoughts at a time. And we are living in an increasingly distracted world. At what cost? To us, to our children, and to our planet. Because as a distracted society, we will not go deeper, understand the causes we should be focusing on and fighting for.

HARI doesn’t offer any quick and easy solutions but does offer up his own experience and strategies. He also emphasizes that while it may be on the individual to attempt to strip out the distractions, this is exactly what is the problem – that the giants want to place this burden on YOU, after creating the crisis. The more effective and long-lasting solution would be a cohesive “Attention Rebellion’ where people join together to raise awareness and force legislation. Impossible? He cites other instances where people thought it would be impossible to bring about change, but did, such as the British government abandoning all plans to build new coal-powered stations, after the bold acts of a few people.

This is an extremely thought-provoking book. I was reminded to clarify again for myself the reasons why I’m on social media. Not all online activity is bad. It can educate us, connect us and open up avenues we may not have discovered on our own.

So, I broke down my reasons (which I’ve articulated to myself and perhaps on this blog before) for being on Instagram. It is to connect, engage with, and learn from:

a)       Bookish people, readers and writers. I have been exposed to so many books and writers that I would not have found on my own, and for this I thank the Bookstagrammers with their thoughtful reviews and insights. And those who generously share tidbits and advice on the craft of writing.

b)      Travelers, especially solo and women travelers; those who wander with curiosity, an open mind, an adventurous spirit

c)       Artists. Oh the artists, their creations that inspire and delight me!

d)      Older people, again, mainly women, who are aging with fresh new perspectives, originality, creativity, determination, spunk and wit.

Those are my reasons for being active on social media and I need, every now and then, to remind myself of those and hone in.

And perhaps also, every now and then, step away. That last bit is harder, HARI writes, but he makes it a habit to do so, because . . . 

 “What we are sacrificing is depth…Depth takes time. And depth takes reflection.”