Peter Schmidt

Peter Schmidt, attention activist and co-editor of Attensity!, and Graham Burnett, scholar and co-editor and co-founder of Friends of Attention, discuss attention as a systemic crisis. They explore the $14 trillion incentive driving tech to commodify attention. They explain the human fracking metaphor, the history of attention science, and practical attention-activist tactics for culture and institutions.

D. Graham Burnett, a historian at Princeton, Alyssa Loh, a filmmaker and attention activist, and Peter Schmidt, director of the Strother School, dive into the urgent concept of 'human fracking,' where attention is commodified like a resource. They discuss how the Friends of Attention collective arose to reclaim our humanity from corporate exploitation. The trio explores redefining attention as a caring practice and emphasizes the need for sanctuaries and collective action to protect our focus from being mined by tech platforms.

D. Graham Burnett, a historian at Princeton, Peter Schmidt, director of the Strother School of Radical Attention, and filmmaker Alyssa Loh discuss the urgent call to reclaim our attention from corporate exploitation. They describe the concept of 'human fracking,' highlighting how our attention is commodified. The guests propose that attention, viewed relationally, is vital for community and humanity. They explore the need for sanctuaries, coalition-building, and grassroots movements to restore our shared attentional identity, simultaneously emphasizing historical context to inspire political action.