How Big Tech is Ruining Your Attention

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Some Sources:
Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
James Williams, Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy
Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads
Adam Alter, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology
Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism
Mark Andrejevic, Automated Media
Brian McCullough, How The Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone
Thumbnail by Peter Cuthbertson
/ petearts

[@ThenNow]

Ironically, I did not pay attention to the fact that the usual Patreon supporter credits are inexcusably missing from the end of the video. HUGE apologies and an even bigger thank you to all the Patreons that made this video possible. I've tried to make up for this mistake with a Patreon-only update about upcoming videos. If you want to read it and future updates, join the Discord server, and support Then & Now you can do so here too: www.patreon.com/posts/78012879?pr=true

[@elainealibrandi6364]

That's because you were paying attention to what you were doing. Great video!

[@antoineralic01]

What's the Link to you discord server.

[@sushipsychose]

ohhh noooooo! not the usual patreon supporters!

[@unreliablenarrator6649]

I go walking or biking alone, usually in the evening or night when I have time. The trick is the motion makes you focus on situational awareness on one level, while freeing you mind to wander or contemplate on another level. It puts you in the here and now, and the endomorphies your body produces as a product of exercise is calming.

[@dansamarco1610]

I hate to be that guy, but "corrosive" is misspelled on the transition card at 19:21

[@cristibajereanu582]

This video is literally a masterpiece, I am glad i paid 27 minutes of my attention.

[@cristibajereanu582]

@@SimonLloydGuitar ok, boss

[@bldbar118]

True

[@BritAltie]

@@SimonLloydGuitar ok, boss

[@swmtothemoon6660]

@@SimonLloydGuitar literally is a figure of speech, so he literally means literally. Edit: she?

[@dann5480]

🤬🤬🤬🤬

[@pwalshofficial]

This is a very important topic I think about on a daily basis. I think we're going to look back on social media as something that was far more damaging than we all realized at the time. I'm trying to take the steps to minimize my usage, but it feels impossible at times. We all know we're addicted and managing that is a daunting task. Edit: I didn’t make this comment asking people to patronize me about how “easy” it really is to minimize your screen time. Everyone’s experience with this shit is different. Save your comments. Good for you if you can easily get off your phone. I really don’t care.

[@lvl99paint]

the hardest part about kicking social media is that EVERYBODY is addicted to it, so to limit your usage or quit altogether disconnects you from a lot of people.

[@LameBushido]

This is just how technology has always developed. We have to adapt or there needs to be some intervention on a government level like asbestos or lead removal

[@antoineralic01]

Well know two things, it's just a tool, and it's an A.I. Stimulant of thought forming apps, make to mesmerize you. In a magickal way, 'The power of attention is needed ot perform the craft within your beliefs.

[@sushipsychose]

@@lvl99paint Yes however you also realize how superficially you were connected to the people you "lost" ngl it does feel lonely sometimes but most of it is just fear of missing out and you just don't miss out on anything, you just crave that illusion of being in touch that social media addiction gave you

[@wnklee6878]

@@lvl99paint It is like a drug, once hooked you will not be able to quit.

[@clusterstage]

we are literally "paying" attention when we pay attention

[@TheFlamingBridges]

I was recently hacked and banned from a certain popular social media platform. It took me a few weeks to adapt but after that I was realizing so much of what you are saying here.

[@suzannecarter445]

As usual, your video was worth the wait. You may not post often, but you put real time and effort into each one and we appreciate it.

[@supermrzzzzz]

Smartphone addict here. This device through which I am typing my comment is more addictive than crack. Often I focus on important stuff I get distracted by a notification on my phone which starts me looking at it and ends with mindless scrolling. It’s corrosive! Thanks to this video, I turned off almost all notifications on my iPhone settings. Not yet ready to give up my iPhone and live in the woods, but hopefully I’ll get there eventually. I need peace with myself.

[@CT-pv9gu]

I swear screens, especially the iPhone, is more addictive than drugs. It’s not classified as a drug but it should be. We’re missing out on real life…

[@T_Dot94]

It's like you get better with every episode. Production quality, writing, editing, music.

[@rigelb9025]

I wish to thank the attention economy for bringing this video to my attention, and making the title & thumbnail sufficiently enticing for me to click on it, and for making it just short enough so as to allow me to watch it in its entirety, whilst managing to maintain most of my attention until the very end. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't learn much from it I didn't already know, but it was certainly a refreshing pit-stop along the information highway. I will say this though : I did find your opening statement to be a bit unjustly glib, for as much as this current high-tech world of ours is obviously not without its unquestionable & dire downfalls, our individual & collective mental health isn't as cut-&-dry as that. Our brains have great elasticity and can adapt to all sorts of external shifts, though sometimes painfully so. But just as you, I'll be the first to advocate for going outdoors as much as you can & make it a point not to throw all of your time & energy into the vast, gaping void of online activity, just to name one (albeit a major one these days). But as long as you're able to strike a balance in how your time & attention is spread out and that you are able to maintain a sane level of personal detachment from the virtual world, it can absolutely & definitely be used as a source of great enrichment and entertainment in your own individual bubble. Lest, of course, the thread of endless distraction become the path to ultimate destruction.

[@justinlanan2565]

totally agree with this. My main takeaway was to live a life where you are wanting what you want to want. If that's not the case then you need to consciously intervene into your own flow of attention and realign things.

[@rigelb9025]

@@justinlanan2565 Yeah, that does kinda make sense.

[@knuxuki1013]

You get it! That's what's needed, a balance. Never on just one path

[@zidanelionheart]

Badass here

[@rigelb9025]

@@zidanelionheart True.

[@chris-cu3kl]

Growing up in this space has always made me prone to addictive behaviors, most pressingly that I smoke weed daily and have extended periods of empty scrolling especially when I am in my own private space. Taking sociology in college, I’m becoming more keen in my own ability to communicate about issues or more accurately how much i struggle to communicate ideas to the closest to me. I really worry about the youngest generation growing up in an internet only further supercharged with fraud and years more of research into how to capture their attention. I’ve been able to recapture my focus on activities that ask of my attention to be remotely playable. I love playing guitar, skateboarding, wrestling, chess, and fighting games for how their long term commitments reward in your own personal skills in the field.

[@Andrew-rc3vh]

I realised all of this years ago. I studied psychology in my spare time as a kid. I live in a conservation area though so billboards are banned. If anyone tries to put any of this stuff up it often gets ripped down. If you do not pay attention to the consequences then you will become stupid.

[@turkblox7634]

I absolutely did not expect such a quality, commenting also for the algorithm to pick this up Definitely feeling like being aware of things the video is talking about is critical to basically survive on modern times (which is progressively getting worse when it comes to competition for attention and how it wreaks havoc on consumers). Keep it up!

[@miguelalbarracin9077]

My phone recently broke and I went down to Apple to get it replaced. It took me a while to actually get it reactivated because I just... liked being disconnected. I finally started up again this morning but this time I only installed tools. Music, Maps, Email, Calendar, Bank Apps, and language learning apps. - that's it, really. I'm going to ride it out this way and see how it goes. It's feeling great not getting endless notifications.

[@jayjellobean]

Thank you so much for this video. Admittedly, it was hard for me to focus and I did find myself looking at my phone, not at all due to the great content. I appreciate the gentle suggestions of connecting with the sky, the ground and refocusing my attention locally. Cheers.

[@quintessenceSL]

One of the worst things about the attention economy is the deception from the players (it's not even hyperreal at this point but outright psychosis). With DECADES of information about nearly ever facet of a persons life, you'd think simple things like searches and bit you are definitively not interested in would be clear. Instead you are wound down through a maze of possible intents, even with this vast data set worth billions, until hours are wasted or you give up in disgust. It's a manipulated reality, really not that far removed from 1984.

[@knightdtd]

The algorithms behind the attention grabbing machinery don't have that much memory. The thing that empowers them moreso than the data is the advancement of behaviorial psychology opening backdoors into the human mind, enabling unprecedented degree of subliminal hypnosis and making the victims willingly obey the manipulation over their own will.

[@ezachleewright2309]

I don't quite understand. What do you mean by "searches and bit you are" and "possible intents"?

[@ily9402]

@@ezachleewright2309 i think they just worded their sentence weirdly i think they ment "bits your definitely not interested in" like, things your not interested in and maybe they ment possible interest??

[@chrishill7797]

Brilliant video, you have hit the nail on the head. It’s a frightening state of affairs

[@userMB1]

i had to rewind a couple of times because my attention wandered somewhere else😆It's a very serious problem. Things have got so bad that i'm reaching for my phone when i'm watching something INTERESTING! like WHY? I like what i'm watching so why am i grabbing my phone to check Reddit or something?! I weep for the TikTok generation who can only tolerate 1 minute videos.💟

[@asuka_the_void_witch]

yeah ive started to go on discord while watching youtube now which.... im disappointed

[@DigitalGhost269]

I love the way u say 'Hooooover' - reminds me of my granny n warms my heart

[@Someone-dy5ui]

Thinking about being at constant state of attentional oppression is like thinking about being at constant risk of death. You know about it, you keep saying that you know about it, and then forget about it in a few minutes. And even when you actually see it and you start panicing, stress, depression, drama, existential crisis, how is anyone suppose to manage that mental bomb... oh, there is a cat :3. And even even if you don't see a cat, you just start going insane, after which it's just either, again, going back as if nothing happened, or you practically stop being a functional human being. Internet became our life. Internet became our personality. Internet became our identity. Internet became us. If the internet will disappear, it's the same as if you loose your memory, or your culture, or your friends: you loose a huge chunk of yourself. Except, internet is our biggest memory, your favorite culture and our single friend. So essentially, you loose all of yourself. You just straight up die. Just some psychology to chew on. Now excuse me, but as I typed this, my favorite reviewer just posted a video about Owl House: For The Future. Gotta watch that one.

[@ganggreeneproductions]

Let it go

[@Someone-dy5ui]

@@ganggreeneproductions the isolation never bothered me anyway

[@TheResidence0]

@@Someone-dy5ui It's funny how a little KZbin Made attention spans so small

[@techcafe0]

@@TheResidence0 perhaps it would be funny, if it also wasn't so tragic

[@Christina-sf4py]

This one is so well expressed. I will be coming back to it every now and again. Well done 👏

[@SpaceBoomerBill]

I really appreciate you listing your sources I am using them now to do a deeper dive.

[@anthonymorales842]

my life is pre digital identity. all of this bombarding of the senses feels like an assault

[@hisownfool1]

When your phone rang during the video, I tensed up. It was a fitting illustration of the toll of the attention economy.

[@apophis2129]

I absolutely love this channel and I have now seen many episodes from them. You have progressed so much in your journey! I admire your perspectives and creative charm. Soon I will be able to provide money on Patreon. I hope that one day, I will be able to help or contribute more in some way. Your videos are brilliant!

[@bldbar118]

Thanks, this is first vid for me. Good to know there is plenty more. :D

[@Nick51100]

This is golden. Just found this channel. I’m so lost in life at the moment this guy has made some proper thought provoking stuff I needed to hear

[@hahahello7519]

For a few years now I was realizing that my attention span was declining. And especially at work it has become quite frustrating. I only read mails during office times, but in the past months a recognized that my attention span has gotten so low, I didn't even open most of those mails. And if I open a few, I wasn't able to read them all because my mind just wanted to speed run the reading process. Watching this video has reinforced my intention to focus harder and getting less distracted, hoping my attention span will grow back in the future. Thank you very much vor this video!

[@quixotiq]

Learn to read longform books again in print. And focus on every page. It helps.

[@hahahello7519]

@@quixotiq Thanks for the advice! Gonna try it!

[@sfkeepay]

Actually, the research on attention seems pretty clear: we can only pay attention to one thing at a time. “Multi-tasking” is fallacious - shifting quickly between things significantly lowers performance.

[@LarsRichterMedia]

It's why I'm trying to get a local arts&culture "movement/thing" going with pop up galleries, workshops, hangouts, jam sessions, dj&dance and whatever people like to do together. If anyone has any insight from personal experience I'm happy to learn from your failures and successes.

[@HallsofMnemosyne]

Generally, a very useful, and informative, video. But the ending, I fear, was quite disappointing. Let's use technology mindfully & skillfully is a constantly repeated mantra - yet nobody seems to be particularly successful in implementing it. At this point, I don't think this will cut it: the situation has become so chaotic that maxims of the type "why, pay a bit more attention to how you use your mobile phone" or "why don't you go out for a stroll in a nearby forest?" just won't cut it. Because even if you do that, the technological beast keeps on following you, keeps up throwing new tricks your way. And the pace at which it's doing that is becoming more and more frantic. I don't know what the solution might be, but ending the video with a few nice-sounding, but - let's admit it - pretty generic quotes, is indeed rather disappointing. It's like trying to treat a cancerous wound with chamomile tea. Perhaps a separate - longer & more specific/concrete - video dedicated exclusively to this topic would be in order?

[@thecoldglassofwatershow]

I agree

[@davidhull9510]

It made me turn the phone off and meditate, but I feel asleep

[@LordMcKrakenVonLittleBits]

All of this is exactly why I got into motorcycling. Swing a leg over, start the bike and go. Your mind is so preoccupied with the function of the machine, the wind hitting your face and the smells of nature that you can truly break free from the world's b.s. No dinging notifications, he said she saids or flashy screens. Just therapy on two wheels. You and the machine.

[@robbiehamilton447]

These videos are incredible. The research and referencing is astonishing. Agnes Martin is my favourite painter, wasn't expecting that. One of the best channels on KZbin.

[@2.7petabytes]

Edward Bernays had a huge part to play in what we see today as well. Check out The Century of Self. It was eye opening, scary and enraging to me. Great video!

[@paulmat7875]

I wonder how much market of attention plays a role in uptick of ADHD diagnosises over the last decade

[@gamer-ff6mh]

Bingo. Now you can decipher the cash flow behind this video.

[@wa5657]

i did not pay enough attention to this video as i've listened to it while doing my job.... but the parts that i did soak in were great stuff, as always!!

[@etiennelearning913]

Really great. Funnily, I'm having a real off day from my usual day which consists of quite a lot of stuff which requires resisting the attention grabbing of my phone. Today, I just couldn't hack it after terrible sleep and was resigned to a morning of watching pointless shit on KZbin. This came up on my feed and decided to click in the knowledge that my watch through rate of videos longer than 2 minutes when I'm in this mood is probably in 0 point something percentages, and that I'd almost certainly click away in a few seconds Ended up watching the whole thing. Again kind of funnily because of the massive effort you clearly put in to put quality stuff, which has always been the case, but also now the production value and little details to actually keep attention going are so strong. Even subtle things like on the few occasions there was a wall of text, the fact it slowly transitioned from brighter to darker sort of helped my brain, which is now in constant need of something going on visually, to stay with it and not click off. Although in different moods it may be a slightly different story, I absolutely needed for that high production value to be there for me to stay on with it, regardless of how interesting the actual ideas you were putting forward were. Seems to reflect well what you were saying about the attention economy, if we're all used to that cacophony of stimulus then our deeper wants of being informed and challenged are likely to be subverted by the desire for that addicting cacophony to remain present. It makes me reflect on how this may filter out smaller, more thoughtful content creators. If we're all getting used to the insane production values of extremely well funded content then any smaller creator has the choice it seems of either putting their stuff out without that, knowing that most people have acclimated to that level of stimulation and will probably not watch it all. Or put in the huge effort to keep it engaging sonically, visually but still challenge us to be attentive to the message as you have here as a kind in between but must've taken absolutely ages without a wealthy team funding it. Anyway, I'm very grateful for this, changed the course of my morning and made me feel like typing a comment which I don't do much. Keep it up!

[@sisterursuline]

This channel is fantastic! I’m surprised you don’t have more subscribers, but please keep making these great films.

[@aydanabdullayeva3990]

your editing is getting better as well

[@kenpanderz672]

most people dont even know what its like to have your time and attention to yourself for more than a few waking hours at a time, so they dont even understand how things could be different. thats the sinister part of this: it doesnt even let you know how it could be different, so how could even try to change it? what would a world without advertisements in every nook and cranny even look like? a world where you have "too much" free time? a world where you can actually take the time to think about things for more than the span of shower? but your time and your attention *is* money, and you *have* to pay.whether you want to or not. unless you unplug completely from modern society, there is no current alternative. maybe there could be, but it would come at the cost of the very concept of capitalist economics as we understand it

[@ammarahmad9976]

I wonder if this guy has any idea how articulate and mesmerising he is

[@krazyzyko]

Nor

[@Shortary]

Great video, may I also ask where you get your music from? The ambients on this video are perfect.

[@AliveBoldTV]

When I was studying psych in undergrad, I realized very quickly that the skills I was learning could be used for good or evil. And marketing was the evil. I still hate it until this day.

[@dirkwyse1609]

There's something to be said for the hippie mantra "be here now." It's difficult to do, to be in every moment, but it is possible sometimes and worthwhile. The internet is the most un-be-here-now thing ever. Distractions upon distractions upon distractions forever and ever...

[@jonrice2827]

Absolutely brilliant video, writing, visuals audio all awe inspiring.

[@markuskosmo]

Even though there's not much here I don't already know, it's a great video that works well as a reminder to value my attention and think about what I pay attention to. I read part of Stand Out of Our Light as curriculum for ethics (I study philosophy at the university), and it was very interesting and enlightening!

[@gilberttello08]

Very informative -- from Philippines

[@phaedrussmith1949]

This was intense. I need some Soma.

[@DerekSpeareDSD]

Shunryu Suzuki stressed the importance of the Zen practice of "sitting" and doing so with an empty mind. I have contemplated on that for two decades and understand that by doing this our mind diffuses itself of the static and noise all around us - especially now - so that we can attenuate our thoughts clearly and with great focus, hopefully, "perfect focus". That, I believe was Suzuki's goal: so that we contemplate life and ourselves with perfect clarity and understanding. The only way to do so is to "tune out" all the noise both within our own minds and without our bodies. You make this point similarly at the end of your good video... Zig Ziglar: The true mark of genius is the ability to focus on the task at hand.

[@nicholasdawn9940]

Hats off to you, comrade, for your enduring commitment to deep thought in shallow times; meaning in a maze of empty signifiers; courage amidst the horrors.

[@v3g499]

Im so glad I once stumbled upon your channel on KZbin. Great video ❤

[@davidhull9510]

Really good video thsnx for that!

[@jiji1946]

attention isn't stolen..... it's given away!

[@StennMathis]

I threw out my TV for good 20 years ago, haven't read a newspaper in just as long....A few months ago my 'smart' (who's smarter, me or the phone?) broke, smashed screen...And since then i have a phone where i can either txt or call, no apps....Oh well...It really feels good, true reconnecting.

[@pigeon_the_brit565]

how do you watch youtube then

[@StennMathis]

@@pigeon_the_brit565 Stop trying to be clever. I have a laptop but my KZbin time is extremely limited during an average day (artist/sculptor/antique dealer/martial artist/ upcycler of old furniture...), I have very little time for KZbin or what's online in general...Too much living to do and i'm only gonna be here once

[@pigeon_the_brit565]

@@StennMathis I was just working off the information you gave me, and its a legitamate question

[@ericlipps7152]

I'm so glad I watched this I think this could help myself and people I care about.

[@vishalnangare31]

Thanks sir and T&N team, 🙏

[@DaseinClimbs]

New Then and Now, what a good day!

[@kevinnolan6579]

Hi, I just want to say on a very very very serious level about something I think holds great importance for - oh! excuse me that's my phone, one second, ("yes, yes, no, sure can do, chat to you later, bye") - sorry 'bout that, anyway what I really want to say is, please stop making these Docs, you're showing the rest of us up man!!! :) So Good!! Excellent work as usual!!! Thank you for this :)

[@pedroesteves4671]

thank you, very well done.

[@Nick51100]

Wow this video was incredible. New subscriber!

[@jennie7]

I have the flu right now so I’ve been in bed scrolling online, but I completely agree with this topic. I’ve been making it a point to stay away from technology and enjoy nature, gardening, and reading books

[@DavidMartins1]

You really hit the nail on the head with this one.

[@romulosouzasantos8711]

"Pay attention to how you're paying attention", what a great video! +1 subscriber.

[@BM-is5ei]

The irony of watching this on my smartphone is delicious.

[@thecoldglassofwatershow]

The irony of watching this on a smart tv while scrolling and reading the comments and responding on my smartphone while also adding videos to watch next on my playlist feels so meta 😩

[@domo2000cc]

Another compelling video! Such great insight and awareness of the modern stress and pressure currently plaguing humans privileged enough to be living in a wealthy capitalist country.

[@westvincent7766]

It is nearly impossible to not live without the amazing and taken for granted technologies we have. You can create discipline by setting deliberate intentions and rituals such as a tech-free Sabbath once a week; on a Sunday for example. One day where you disconnect from digital tech and reconnect with your heart, body and mind... I've been doing this for almost a year and it has been freeing in so many ways This way you don't get as stressed and anxious, knowing you can return back to the digital sphere, with a refreshed mind and body

[@lalalala1448]

Thank you so much for your work!

[@user-ms4ef8xz9t]

I cancelled my cable TV a couple of years ago. I just could not see the logic of paying anyone to pump commercials into my home. Then there was the sorry state of cable news.... No regrets, and I'm saving $200 a month!

[@karenguzman8293]

"it's about using technology in the right way, so it works for us, not the other way around" was my favorite part of this video, I think it shares a lot with what people in Humane Center of Technology is looking for, thank you for sharing this important information for the better knowledge of everyone about how to adapt ourselves to technology in the right way.

[@rawlsrules]

This has been a pet peeve since the 60s and of course it has only become more enshrined in our world. Glad I paid attention to your title.

[@allypoum]

Very good stuff. Who was it who said "all that is solid melts into air"? ;-)

[@dandylandpuffplaysminecraf8744]

I think the public is catching on. At Canada Post yesterday I was presented with a survey I asked the staff “How accurate do you think these surveys are?” They snorted and gave a side eye.

[@mehcutcheon2401]

Great summary.

[@benjamino.7475]

Continue with the awesome work^^

[@FelixSkura]

Our aimless and desperate expressions on these platforms don’t do much for us, but they are hugely lucrative for advertisers and social media companies, since what drives the machine is not the content of information but the rate of engagement.

[@sweetdrreemz]

Yeah, I never commented in youtube before. But a few years ago, I decided to start doing it. Then you realize that, youtube isn't someplace you can meet people and make friends and build community (you can build community, maybe, if that's your aim: to get paid as a creator). Ultimately these comments are probably just analyzed by AI to predict trends, train AI, etc.. Nobody will read my crap; and, even if they do, they'll forget about it in 5-10 minutes, like I do... It's a solid case for depressingly pessimistic nihilistic futility; but, then again, I'm on youtube being told about how youtube's goal is to maximize the attention I pay to it. lol How's that for ironic..

[@bobbygoestoabyss6624]

Whats the music in the beginning. I heard it before in commercials.... but only a 10 second soundbite.... Would like to listen to the complete song at least once.

[@Cannabonsai]

I really resonated with that intro

[@thekajalflaneur]

The James Rorty quote is *chefs kiss*

[@Standownevil]

My mom was never involved in my life my entire life but now that she is older I thought I might get to know her better but she is too busy still in TECH NOW! Yep lost out again to distractions for us!!!

[@BlackJar72]

Another thing to consider. If a technology can make itself your sole or primary source of reinforcement for long enough, you were learn that that is where to turn for the next hit while the pull of other potential sources weakens through non-use. In the end this can lead to a real difficulty disengaging as there is the pull of the conditioning to turn to tech combined with uncertainty what to do in its place -- probably more so for those growing up with it before developing other interests. (Source, person insight, but there should be serious investigation into it specifically.)

[@Sandfire564]

It's so hard to detach from technology since everyone uses it. I still remember the one time I tried to break off for a day was the one day my family tried to contact me and they got mad I wasnt there to answer. That scared me away from trying again lol

[@theeternalgus9119]

That’s the problem. We need breaks and the constant “need” to be available is a pain in the ass. I actually broke my phone recently and life’s a lil less stressful.

[@michaelcraig9449]

Tell then to get real. You want to live like humans did since time began. Call them once a week.

[@clusterstage]

In fact ads is no longer sustainable in the foreseeable future (1:41)

[@gordonfreeman5261]

What's the music in this video!

[@briannyob7799]

The first thing I do when I install most apps is turn off notifications. I'll check stuff when I feel like it. I have a Facebook account, but I think I last looked at it 4 months ago.

[@naniyotaka]

Same. I have notifications turned off on all my devices. If I accidentally leave one turned on, it starts to irritate me right away.

[@MV-vv7sg]

Attention has cropped up in my recent reading. Specifically Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations: We can talk of the shape of a vase and have our direction lead someone to focus on that and exclude it’s colour and size etc and likewise somehow have them focus only on colour and nothing else. §33 has more on this. Then in §34:” I always do the same thing when I attend to a shape…” “And we do here what we do in a host of similar cases…” This isn’t found in our gesticulation or Immediate language. We don’t point to colour and not shape? We have an ability higher than the description of Language or pointing. It is built into our understanding to be able to divide up our attention. As you put it, attention is how we do everything, it’s our perception. And perception is the only tether between reality and that which experiences it: the mind. Perception, therefore attention, is absolutely everything. It’s our time, a measure of our value. And today we are stolen of it like a murderer steals someone’s life.

[@_.rifky._]

Thank you sooo much for this video ❤🔥 Plz consider writing a book... Then and Now... I would read it definitely 💪

[@gonzophilosophy7858]

Great video mate

[@susanwilliams4953]

Great advice Then & Now. "Pay attention to how you are paying your attention".

[@sushipsychose]

20:16 You called him Dershowitz, Finkelstein would be proud

[@wetalksports1128]

Great video

[@MG-gl7gx]

I'm not sure if anyone has pointed this out, but isn't the picture of James Rorty at 11:33 actually a picture of American philosopher Richard Rorty? (Edit) The website where the image is linked says that james was Richard's father, but the picture is uncannily similar to Richard...

[@davidgroom5059]

Thanks

[@TheArtofGuitar]

I like Bill Hick's advice for people in advertising. ;)

[@Beijejr]

Hello. Do you ever listen to Philosophize this? Would recommend.

[@Hollowdude15]

Great video Then & Now and I like your videos so alot :]

[@percheroneclipse238]

I cut off ties with friends who spend time with social media instead of doing real stuff.

[@karigrandii]

After you try to quit social media you notice how addicting it is. I was litterally refreshing google search front page because I was so used to get dopamine from my phone. I just opened safari and closed it. It took almost a year to get rid of the rituals of social media. But now I notice I just replaced all that with youtube. I open and close youtube… will I ever get rid of these patterns?

[@Zakariah1971]

Excellent presentation. Must be from Europe!

[@AquaTofana.]

This is fireee! 🔥🔥🔥

[@0xzi]

Very interesting topic, and wonderful editing of the video. Definitely subscribing, have enjoyed quite a few of your videos even if there's a handful I maybe don't agree with, it's refreshing and authentic feeling arguments you put forward. As for the topic - like most things in life I think it's about balance. Using the most simplistic example is taking your camera out into nature: sure snap a good pic or two, there's nothing wrong with that.. but take in the area as well. Don't walk up to a waterfall, take a picture, and leave - something I've seen far too often in my life. Take time and make the effort to actually experience things, or you'll never feel like you can get a break from anything.

[@asuka_the_void_witch]

right-winger spotted XD (dont worry im taking the piss )

[@PWizz91]

My attention span has diminished so much during the past few years…. I can’t sit down longer than 10mins watching tv, I turn a game off after just 15 mins, I watch multiple videos at the same time Like now, I’ll have this on whilst clicking on shorts and I have th tv playing in the background. It’s crazy

[@nezar-6889]

What was said at 11:10 is quite ironic when you realize KZbin thumbnails (this one included) are doing exactly the same thing, except they're not always selling us fake snail oil.