When it comes to getting my attention this new year, I want to make one thing absolutely clear. Right from the get-go.
This year, I refuse to give more than a single minute of my attention to larger-than-life, supremely arrogant, deeply polarising, and morally reprehensible characters like Trump and Musk.
You see, the fact isn’t lost on me. My attention, and those of every single human on our fragile planet now, is this century’s greatest commodity of exchange. And devious folks like the above-mentioned, and others of their ilk, know it well. In fact, their entire raison d’être in life is to wield, at will, their nauseating brand of personhood like it was a bludgeon.
Substitute the gender in the title of that ageless anthem from 1971 by Aussie singer Helen Reddy, “I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar“, and you’ve pretty much nailed what motivates those self-serving buffoons (no disrespect to Ma’am Reddy of course).
Well, I’m not having any of it. Not anymore
Because here’s the truth. Even if these nefarious, limelight desperadoes never existed in our world today, this 21st-century era is already flooded with mind-numbing, time-sucking distractions that do nothing for our sense of peace, tranquility, and desire to have more quality time with ourselves, our minds, and our loved ones. The very things we need to stay sane in an increasingly mad world!
So I think it’s time you and I reclaim our attention, and rethink where and how we should spend this precious commodity this new year before it’s too late.
But first, why is attention so desired yet so fragmented today?
We All Have Attention Deficit Disorder. We Just Don’t Know It!
First off, attention is indisputably the most coveted resource on the planet right now.
From individuals seeking validation on social media to conglomerates battling for customers’ devotion and engagement. Attention drives societal, economic, political, and personal interactions and decisions in nearly every corner of the globe.
Yet paradoxically (or more precisely) because of its coveted nature, attention is also more fragmented now than ever before. It is being tugged at from every conceivable angle, and dispersed across a myriad of platforms, devices, and distractions.
Don’t believe me? Take the subway now and look around. Walk down a busy street at any time of the day or night and count the number of people looking at their mobile phones. (Fair warning: you won’t have enough fingers and toes to complete the task! Assuming of course you don’t get distracted along the way and lose count)
This duality — attention’s desirability and fragmentation — reflects the complex interplay of human psychology, technological advancements, and cultural shifts we see today.
It also explains why I think many of us on Mother Earth have many attention deficit “disorders” (ADD) every day. We’ve just become so immune or numb that we don’t even realize we have these ADDs!
Our Attention Is Now Upon EVERY Content Ever Produced!
Recently, I listened to a podcast that featured Chris Hayes, the host of MSNBC’s “All In”. (His book “The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource.” goes on sale in three days)
In the second minute of that podcast episode, Chris said something to host Ezra Klein of The New York Times that blew me off my chair!
He said: The notion now (is) that at every single moment, when you are competing for someone’s attention, you are competing against literally every piece of content ever produced.
It was like a light bulb just exploded in my head! This remark fully captured my daily experience, both as a parent and as an educator.
So that’s why getting the attention of my charges on most days feels like a herculean task!
Think about it for a second: How can anyone hope to win a contest for attention when we’re competing against EVERY piece of content ever made available to mankind at our fingertips?!
Losing The Attention Game IS A Big Deal!
As much as previous generations would retort with stuff like…
What’s the big deal?
Haven’t kids/students always been distracted?
I was such a kid too when I was their age.
Why make a mountain out of a molehill?…
…the reality such “elders” who make dismissive comments fail to recognize and accept, is that the desire for attention stems from its intrinsic link to three big draws for every human: validation, connection, and influence. Unlike the old days of town halls and pep rallies, all three draws can now be gotten by anyone with a mere swipe of our fingers over a glass surface that’s no bigger than our hands.
So much power in a single palm or inside a wallet-sized pocket.
There’s just no fair era-to-era comparison!
As humans, being noticed has always fulfilled our fundamental needs for recognition and belonging. Social media platforms in particular amplify this desire, creating environments where likes, comments, and shares serve as quantifiable metrics of worth.
For businesses, attention translates to opportunity: the more eyes on a product or service, the greater the profit potential. So attention is now a currency—an asset that can be monetized, traded, and leveraged.
Yep. Losing attention is indeed a big deal!
Attention! “Big Brother” Is Watching Us Now More Than Ever
In British writer and journalist Johann Hari‘s 2022 book Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, he talks about how challenging it is to wrestle back attention on our own. (An edited extract of it can be found here) Especially when there are nefarious characters and algorithms in the online world hell-bent on wrestling over your attention every second of the day with every bauble and bangle they can dangle before your wandering eyes!
On our own, we can certainly attempt many of these purportedly tried-and-tested methods that a simple Google search for hacks to the problem will proffer. They will advise you to limit your screen time. Take a phone-free meditation retreat. Read a book. Play sports. Crochet.
But this is 2025. We’re not in the “little leagues” anymore! These methods rarely work except in the short term. I’ve tried a few of them myself but nothing sticks.
The increasingly powerful modern algorithm genies have been monitoring us with battalion-size teams of “attention spies” for years now, and they know how to insidiously draw us back to screens yet make us think it’s all a mere coincidence. Why else do many of us find, say, pizza ads popping up on our screens when we just had a conversation with someone about where to go for pizza tonight? Or interior design and renovation sites suggested to you today all because you had searched for information on home furnishings just yesterday?
We Need To Wrestle Our Attention Back Together, Not Alone
The only way we can combat this is what Northwestern University Professor of Global History, Daniel Immerwahr, said in his recent New Yorker piece “What If Attention Crisis Is All A Distraction?” We need to decide for ourselves WHERE our attention should be placed, and not let the algorithms decide it for us.
To which I would add, we need to do it together!
That means a collective, community effort to push back against the ruthless titans, tycoons, and tech oligarchs that are grabbing our attention to line their already fat pockets. To play the role of responsible educators, parents, and adults in the lives of our young kids and charges and support national guidelines and policies that send the clear signal — more in-the-physical world attention is the healthier choice!
For me, that must mean more outdoor time, family in-person time, and more physical book-reading time.
What about you?
Where are you directing your attention to this year?
Love to hear your comments below.
Meanwhile, here’s to regaining back our attention where it ought to be!
