CNN's John Sutter has written a new book about the future of social media. In it, he argues that tech companies are using distraction to their advantage. The question is: What technology works in whose interests with what goals? He says Facebook and Google have both been wrong on this issue.
Johann Hari is a writer and journalist. He has written for the New York Times, Le Monde, the Guardian, and other newspapers and his TED talks have been viewed over seventy million times. His work has been praised by a broad range of people, from Oprah Winfrey to Noam Chomsky to Joe Rogan.
Eric and Johann discuss his book, Stolen Focus Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again
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Johann Hari and I Discuss Stolen Focus and Attention and…
- His book, Stolen Focus Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again
- His experience of spending 3 months with no internet or smartphone
- The negative effects of consuming too much of social media
- How the evidence is showing we are in an attention crisis
- The deep forces at work that are damaging our attention
- Understanding the two levels of response to the attention crisis; individual and collective
- Cruel optimism is offering a simple solution to complex problems that may not work
- The alternative to cruel optimism is bringing awareness to the many layers of the problem
- How the human brain can only think about one thing at a time
- The negative effects of multitasking, or the switch cost-effect
- The debate between being “pro” tech and “anti” tech
- The damaging effects of the current business models of social media designed to steal people’s attention
- How technology could be used to heal and aid your attention rather than steal it
- How the current model of economic growth contributes to dwindling attention
- His thoughts on the need for an attention movement to resist the forces invading our attention
Johann Hari Links:
Stolen Focus Book Website
Johann’s Website
Twitter
Instagram
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Johann Hari (2015 Interview)
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