Factually! with Adam Conover You Are Being Robbed of Your Attention with D. Graham Burnett and Peter Schmidt
Jan 14, 2026
D. Graham Burnett, a Princeton historian and co-editor of a compelling manifesto on attention liberation, joins Peter Schmidt, an attention activist focused on reclaiming our perceptual spaces. They delve into the commodification of our attention, likening it to 'human fracking' driven by tech giants. The duo discusses the military origins of attention research and how algorithms manipulate perceived choices. They advocate for attentional diversity and propose simple practices to reclaim our focus, framing their movement as a call for collective action against exploitative business models.
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Attention As A Commodity
- Tech platforms have turned human attention into a commodity sold to advertisers at massive scale.
- D. Graham Burnett calls this process 'human fracking' that breaks up deep attention into monetizable fragments.
AI Drives Attention Optimization
- Algorithms optimize for maximal screen time using advanced AI originally developed for other tasks.
- That optimization reshapes human behavior to favor rapid, predictive engagement over sustained attention.
Attention Was Mechanized
- Scientific and military research historically narrowed our notion of attention to measurable 'time on task'.
- That mechanistic model fit industry needs and later enabled attention to be priced and exploited.
