I published a new book review this morning on a book I recently finished reading. It’s Johann Hari’s new book called Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention. In the book he provides the different causes over the years as to why we feel our attention and focus has been hijacked and offers a not-so-startling reveal that the platform capitalists (Amazon, Google, Facebooks etc) tweak their algorithms to ensure that we have our eyes constantly on the screen – and that we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for not being in control – we are being controlled.

I liked how he set out this book. He had decided to go to Provincetown and get by without access to technology even removing the wifi while for some months he focused on sleep, reading, research and writing. What a life. I’d LOVE to do that!

However, the moment he was back “into society”, with the phone in his hand, bad habits started.

That didn’t make me feel so bad because it just goes to show that it happens to all of us.

As I was reading this book, I had my own niggling thoughts. I reflected how much of this is impacting our everyday lives and relationships. In the book, he makes a scary prediction that it could even be the collapse of society because of the impact to our mental health and wellbeing, our sleep, inability to get into flow state and impairing our thinking.

Certainly, I’ve gotten used to talking to people who are looking down at their phone not even holding eye contact with me. But you know, I catch myself doing the same thing!

Some other things I have noticed over time:

• Having to repeat sentences so people can understand me (their mind is elsewhere)
• Having to ask people NOT to look something up on their phones as I just want the banter of pontification and speculation
• The amount of kids addicted to their screens
• Families sitting around a table in a cafe or restaurant on their phones
• Teenagers in trains heading to school, all head down looking at their phones not talking to each other
• Tradespeople on breaks sitting around looking at their phones
• Lots of drivers are looking at their phones while driving or at traffic lights
• Amount of people who have fake accounts on social media who trawl or spam others to hurt them (everyone is watching everyone else online, narcism central).
• Being told TL;DR (shits me no end when you’re told this at work as if your work is impacting someone else’s focus. This to me, is the height of impoliteness and inconsideration when someone else tells you that your work isn’t worth engaging with simply because they have no time to read – or cannot focus on it thus heightening their superiority that because they are busier than you, they are more important…).
• Thinking that your phone has buzzed and it didn’t (lately, I’ve been forgetting my phone at home a lot when I’m out and I STILL reach for it in my bag or pocket)…..

I recommend the book even though I’m now taking the view that we really need to get off these platforms and hold these technologists to account once and for all. However, I am not waiting for them to change because their entire economic model is based on keeping us addicted.