New Books Network The Friends of Attention, "Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement" (Crown, 2026)
Jan 20, 2026
Join D. Graham Burnett, a historian of science at Princeton; Alyssa Loh, a filmmaker and attention activist; and Peter Schmidt, program director at the Strother School of Radical Attention, as they explore the urgent need to reclaim our attention from commodification. They discuss the origins of the Friends of Attention collective and introduce 'human fracking,' a powerful metaphor for today's attention crisis. The trio also highlights joyful practices and sanctuaries for attention, advocating for community action and deeper engagement to reconnect with our shared humanity.
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Attention As A Commodified Resource
- Attention has been transformed into a commodified resource through an industry that mines human focus for profit.
- The Friends of Attention define attention as central to our humanity and civic life, not merely a cognitive capacity.
Birth At The São Paulo Biennial
- The Friends of Attention formed after artists and activists at the São Paulo Biennial noticed democratic harm from social media-driven politics.
- That moment prompted them to organize, write, make films, and build programs like the School of Radical Attention.
Attention Labs Revealed Public Hunger
- The School of Radical Attention runs labs that teach joint durational attention and practical gatherings in everyday venues.
- Those labs revealed widespread hunger for tools to protect attention and build communities around it.
