I have had three books on the go over the last month, and each of them in different ways give a perspective on the attention economy. The first is by Esther Ghey, and it is an exploration of how the attention economy can have terrible consequences, especially for vulnerable children. The second by Chris Hayes explores the effects of the attention economy more broadly. The third, by Alan Wallace is a book on meditation practice.
Jon Kabat-Zinn in Full Catastrophe Living defined mindfulness as “the quality of awareness that arises by paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally”. So much of the attention economy is counter to that – the internet profits from us being sucked into a maelstrom of information that can be alarming, create dissatisfaction, and increase judgement and division.
Read together, these books have challenged my perspective, and make me think carefully about mindfulness, social media, politics and society in general.
Under a Pink Sky by Esther Ghey
This is the most moving book I recall reading. Esther relates not just the story of her daughter Brianna’s murder, but of her own personal history, of how many factors meant that the last four years of Brianna’s life were deeply troubled, how that impacted her family, and how two children were influenced by the dark web to commit the most brutal act.
Of course, not all children are so dramatically affected, but there is little doubt that many are significantly harmed. The statistics on childhood mental health suggest a strong correlation with time spent on the internet. I recall some of the struggles to limit my teenage children’s time on computer games, and that was long before the internet and social media had woven themselves into the fabric of our lives.
It is not just children – we are all impacted in different ways. I recall being on a train in North Wales on route to a training course, when the train stopped at a small station. There was a beautiful evening sky. I looked around and every single person on the train was staring at a phone, then I looked out on the platform and everyone there was doing the same thing.
One of the worst aspects of the internet is trolling – people anonymously attacking other people in the most vile ways. It is a cowardly act, but no less painful for the recipient. Words you could not use in public have become permissible online; anonymity is protected for even the most vile commentators.
Social media profits on attention. Their business model is based on keeping us online and selling advertising. And to be frank, they don’t care what they do to keep us online. In the interests of “free speech”, they are actually reducing or removing any protections on what surfaces on their platforms.
It is not hopeless. Stories like Esther’s and Brianna’s are surfacing (far too many), and surely any ethical government must respond. Esther is clear on how, and has set up Peace and Mind to further the cause. Deep gratitude for Esther’s honesty, courage and compassion.
The Siren’s Call by Chris Hayes
Moving on from Esther’s very personal story, this is an exploration of how the attention economy works. It explores how the internet is driven by the need to grab attention, almost to the exclusion of any moral compass. Social media companies are funded by advertising. The longer they keep you online, the more you scroll, the more money they make.
What is worse, they employ technology to tailor the experience to what will keep you online the longest. They track your scrolling and provide you with material they know is likely to keep you hooked. They know more about what grabs your attention than you do.
Social media started with a noble intention of keeping people in touch. Then greed crept in. If you look at Facebook today, there are more adverts than posts from friends – as a means of keeping in touch it is about as useful as turning up in central London and hoping to bump into a friend who might also have gone to central London. Next time you look at the stream, just think that someone has paid Facebook to put the uninvited post there.
You might think social media platforms are free. They are not. You pay, not in money but in your attention. Every moment you are on, you make them richer.
Chris elaborates on how this has changed public discourse. For example, politics is not driven by public debate but by nuggets of information that are often based on bias more than fact, or by weak reasoning that would collapse under scrutiny. It explains the rise of Trump, for example, where he thrives on attention, and unlike many politicians he thrives as much if not more on negative attention.
We can’t, today, realistically exclude ourselves from the internet and social media. We can, however, be more aware of its impact, and perhaps be less drawn into the whirlpools and quicksands that are placed there to trap us.
The Attention Revolution by B. Alan Wallace
The third book is one I started a while ago. Having more time to explore my mindfulness practice I have gone back to reading about some Buddhist practices. Shamatha is what in the mindfulness world we would call breath practice, but there is more emphasis on paying attention. Alan introduces 10 different levels of attention from being able to direct attention, through brief periods of continuous attention, to being able to hold attention for sustained periods of hours.
I would not encourage anyone new to meditation to explore this, but it provides some interesting perspectives, and relates well to the definition by Jon Kabat-Zinn. It is not attention itself that is important – as illustrated above, we are invited today to pay attention to lots of things, often at the behest of others and for dubious reasons. Rather, it is the quality of attention that is important, that we can direct our own attention, and that it is done in a positive and wholesome way.
So, from the deeply personal story of Under a Pink Sky, through the broader perspective of The Siren’s Call, to The Attention Revolution, maybe we can consciously, at least from time to time, take responsibility for where our attention goes, and maybe not gift it so willingly and regularly to those who can profit from it.
Now, sit and breathe – if only for a moment.
