D. Graham Burnett

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.

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.