Stolen Focus - Johann Hari

 Sub-title: Why You Can't Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again

I cheated on this read and after going through the Introduction, I skimmed the chapters and cut to the conclusion.  Bottom line is get away from social media as an individual and as a society switch from consumerism and a goal of economic growth to enjoying what we have and economic stability.  Good summary at the end where he advocates for an "Attention Rebellion" and value something other than speed and growth.

Quotes:

[3 forms of attention, he adds a 4th] "spotlight (focusing on immediate actions, like, 'I'm going to make coffee'), starlight (focus applied to longer-term goals, projects over time), daylight (focus that makes it possible for you to know what your longer term goals are in the first place and, stadium lights (our ability to see and fight for collective goals."

[6 changes he made in his life]

1) pre-commitment to stop switching tasks so much (bought and uses a kSafe)

2) rather than beat himself up for getting distracted, he asks what would be something meaningful to me that I could do now?

3) takes 6 months of the year totally off of social media

4) act on what he learned about letting your mind wander (takes a walk without phone)

5) strict about getting 8 hours sleep

6) spend time with children just playing freely, non-structured free play

"...Under Covid, even more than before, we were living in simulations of social life, not the real thing.  It was better than nothing, to be sure, but it felt thinner.  And all the while, the algorithms of surveillance capitalisms were altering us - tracking and changing us -for many more hours a day."

"Growth can happen in one of two ways ...a corporation can find new markets by inventing something new or exporting something and the second is that a corporation can persuade existing consumers to consume more.  Mostly, we achieve growth today primarily through this second option [leading to our lack of focus]"

Published: 2022 Read: February 2023 Genre: Philosophy