Numb. Charles R. Chaffin
there is a great deal of stress involved in ignoring all of the distractions that we receive from technology. Think about all of the push notifications, sounds, and vibrations that come from texts, apps, email, and a host of other sources. If you are focusing your attention on a task, there is a great deal of stress in ignoring your smartphone while working on a project or even during a conversation with a friend over coffee. The stress in ignoring the sights and sounds around us can impact performance in a big way. In 1982, students at Public School 98 in New York were subjected to the daily noise of a nearby subway train. The train rumbled past 15 times per day, causing disruptions to the class. After numerous complaints, the Transit Authority cushioned the rails with rubber pads while the Board of Education installed sound‐absorbing materials in the classrooms. All of these efforts limited the distractions from the train, and in the years that followed, students' reading levels improved one full grade level. This is by no means a profound revelation: Students do better in school when there are not loud noises occurring throughout the day to distract them. However, the same can be said of all of us as adults: We perform better in our work and social lives when we are not constantly disrupted throughout the day. It may not be as consistently loud as the 1 train to the Bronx, but a distraction is a distraction.
Technology and Our Attention
There is a relationship between technology and attention spans as well. In 2015, Microsoft examined the attention spans of hundreds of volunteers through both EEG scans (electroencephalogram, used to track and record brain waves) and survey data. Microsoft determined that the average attention span was approximately eight seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2000 (Perhaps more shocking, that eight‐second average is one second less than the average attention span of a goldfish). Subjects who had digital devices tended to have more difficulty in focusing their attention, particularly those who are constantly switching their attention between short activities. These short activities could be texting while responding to work emails as your attention is switched back and forth between two devices and two distinctly different topics. Many of these attributes are similar to those diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), where individuals have difficulty focusing their attention for long periods of time.
The impact of regular distractions certainly adds up. A study from the University of California‐Irvine found that after an interruption, it takes on average 23 minutes and 15 seconds to get back on task in a natural work environment. That is, of course, assuming there are no further distractions during that 23 minutes. Those distractions do not just impact our work, but they also impact our focus on our relationships, reflection, and a myriad of other tasks that we perform in our daily lives. Nir Eyal, in his book Indistractable, outlines the internal and external triggers that can cause us to lose focus. Internal triggers are the urge to go onto social media or check if someone is texting us (you know, the three bubbles), or Google something just for the sake of googling it. External triggers are the push notifications that come from our smartphones, alerting us to everything from new tweets from the Kardashians to news and information from every app imaginable. We have become so focused on them that they are having an impact on almost every aspect of our daily lives. In fact, a recent study suggests that 10% of people check their smartphones during sex. I will resist the urge to opine on any impact on sexual productivity here, but the point is that we have a challenge when it comes to being focused in our daily lives.
Given that attention is both a vital and a finite resource, we have to take steps to ensure that we are allocating it towards the activities that are most important to us. First, we can actively manage the alerts on our smartphones. Do you really need all of those push notifications? If you cannot part with all of them, then maybe there can be a dedicated time when the smartphone can go into a drawer or even be turned off. At work, having your email open where push notifications alert you to every new email can also be a constant distraction. A dedicated time to focus on email can be a huge boost to productivity. And related, make commitments to complete tasks for a given period of time or even to completion. If you say, “I am going to work on this project for the next hour uninterrupted,” then create the environment to do so and get it done. Regardless of the strategy you employ, you are empowered to actively manage any distractions, whether internal or external, to your personal and professional life.
CHAPTER 3 The News
“The primary purpose of journalism is to provide citizens with the information they need to be free and self‐governing.”
— Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, The Elements of Journalism
It seems as if there are countless sources for news, including broadcast and cable channels, radio, newspapers, and online platforms, much of which can be accessed directly or via social media. Within each medium, we have to decide which source is trustworthy and which is not, separating fact from opinion and seeking and objectivity over bias. Much of the news draws us to the sensational, prioritizing the graphic over the detail, and in some cases the flashy over substance. In addition, we all have an innate desire for vindication of our opinions, leading us to sources that provide commentary that lends itself to confirmation bias. And if that is not enough, the fast pace of today's news cycle makes the stories that have yet to achieve even their 15 minutes of fame already obsolete, as breaking news headlines suddenly replace the previous ones. As I write this chapter, there are fires blazing through the western part of the United States; two hurricanes threatening the Gulf Coast; an endless carnival of accusations, conspiracy theories, and polls related to the 2020 election; heightened worry about nuclear testing in North Korea; and, not to be outdone, a worldwide pandemic. Each of these stories brings a constant stream of breaking news alerts, push notifications, and opinions. The news today seems like a salad tossed with headline fatigue, information overload, confirmation bias, and way too much sensationalism dressing. The news can be overwhelming.
Our main sources of news have evolved over the past many decades. In the 1960s, network news was considered separate and apart from the entertainment division. Profitable networks thought that a well‐funded and respected news division would help both with their reputation as well as mitigate any regulatory pressures from the government. At that time, network news was not designed to make a profit. And yet visibility was high. Walter Cronkite, anchor of the CBS Evening News from the 1960s to the 1980s, was voted “the most trusted man in America.” At the same time, local news and newspapers were thriving, representing their cities and regions and cornering the market on commercial and print advertising revenue.
The news landscape changed radically in the 1980s as cable news grew in stature and media conglomerates began taking ownership of the broadcast networks. With this new ownership came a bigger focus on profit within the news divisions. By the 1990s, advertising became more targeted and the audiences for network news were beginning to erode with the increased competition from cable news. In the 2000s, the internet began its assault on newspaper circulation, while social media platforms launched to create an even more competitive environment. Today, according to the Pew Research Center, 49% of Americans get their news from television, with social media now outpacing newspapers as a primary news source. Dr. Michael Griffin, professor of media studies at Macalester College and author of Media and Community says, “In the evolution of media platforms we have moved from choosing a program lineup on a particular broadcast network (ABC, CBS, NBC, or PBS) to ‘surfing’ cable TV, with many more channels competing to grab and hold our attention with increasingly overdramatized, politicized, and specifically targeted content, to the web, with an algorithmic, hyperlinked system designed to harvest clicks. The business activity we refer to as ‘attention merchants’ evolved from radio, television, and popular publications (e.g. ‘the magazine stand’) to the Web, which encourages an almost constant, addictive monitoring.” Media platforms are now full participants in the attention economy, using sensationalism and opinion to attract and retain as many eyeballs as possible to deliver to advertisers.
Drawing Your Attention – and Keeping It
Clickbait is designed to draw a reader's