Your Attention Has Been STOLEN | Peter Boghossian & Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a British-Swiss author and journalist, known for his books and his articles in The Independent and Huffington Post. Since 2015, his writing has primarily dealt with the war on drugs, mental illness, and decreasing attention spans. His books on these subjects include Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, Lost Connections, and Stolen Focus.
In this conversation, Johann and I talk about the variables vying for our attention and their effects on society. Though Johann mentions twelve variables in his book, we focus primarily on social media. Johann and I offer observations of people addicted to technology, and we discuss evidence-based ways to combat this problem. Additionally, we speak about algorithms and their incentives to keep users "angry and scrolling."
Finally, we take the conversation to the implications our shortened attention spans have on interpersonal relationships, political participation, and democracy.
More from Johann:
Sometimes I feel like we are doomed but I honestly believe the tide is turning. Look at us directing our attention to a social media platform where we can find decent minds.
Can I posit that while we are being preyed upon with rage porn our subconscious is hungry to tell others that we're all screwed and find our people or to unite us eventually around the fact that we are all inherently the same no matter what as we all are suffering under authoritarianism in one way, shape or form?