Numb
How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back
Charles R. Chaffin
Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data:
Names: Chaffin, Charles R., author.
Title: Numb : how the information age dulls our senses and how we can getthem back / Charles R. Chaffin.
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2021] | Includes bibliographicalreferences and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021005107 (print) | LCCN 2021005108 (ebook) | ISBN9781119774358 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119774495 (adobe pdf) | ISBN9781119774488 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Human information processing. | Distraction (Psychology) | Attention.
Classification: LCC BF444 .C43 2021 (print) | LCC BF444 (ebook) | DDC153–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005107
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005108
COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY
To all who have taught me, whether scholars, students, or educators, and others who have fed my wonderment and spirit. To those closest to me – Mom, Dad, Amy, Josh, Cole, Grandma, Kostas, Ryan, Steven, Steven, Gary, Keith, David, Roger, Brian, Richard, Mike, Bob – all of whom bring love, support, and authenticity to my life. To all of the helpers.
Preface
I wrote Numb because we have too much to read.
This information age has us constantly plugged in, and yet we are feeling as disconnected as ever. There are a multitude of sources for news and information, yet we struggle to stay informed, as fact is labeled opinion and opinion is labeled as fact. Sensationalism provides a front‐row seat to the suffering of others, yet our capacity for compassion for those around us is limited as images of tragedy become routine and conflict becomes the norm. We have more choices than we could ever imagine, everything from colleges to potential mates to brands of mustard. Yet many of us are paralyzed to decide, and in some cases are unhappy and mired in regret over past choices. The number of emails and text messages that we receive on a daily basis can be overwhelming to our Stone Age brains, causing us to struggle to filter the relevant from the irrelevant. Social media promises connection to billions of other humans around the world, yet we struggle with loneliness, tribalism, and FOMO as these platforms lure us into a dopamine loop that provides a short‐term fix, sometimes at the expense of authenticity. Algorithms provide us exactly what we want to read, watch, and engage, diminishing our horizons rather than expanding them, while at the same time facilitating a polarized society where common ground is, quite frankly, uncommon. With all of these factors in mind, it is not surprising that the information age is making us numb.
Our attention is both limited and valuable. We only have so much of it at any given time. It is vital, as it drives our consciousness and, ultimately, where and to what we direct our cognitive and physical resources. Given the sea of information and the limits of our attention, we have become overloaded with the sights and sounds that are now a significant part of our everyday lives. Technology lures our attention onto apps of all kinds through push notifications and reward systems that work to engage us and ultimately keep us engaged. The technology and many of our sources of information have different objectives than our own. While the user or viewer is interested in staying informed or connected, social media platforms, streaming services, and cable news channels all have a vested interest in capturing and, perhaps more importantly, keeping our attention. It is not enough to just log on or “tune in.” These platforms are designed to keep you engaged for as long as possible, through algorithms that provide similar content based upon past consumption and variable rewards that keep you posting and reposting and checking and rechecking those posts and reposts. Sensationalism and opinion keep viewers engaged through breaking news that may or may not be breaking news and opinion that sometimes only confirms existing biases. Through these tricks and tools, platforms of all kinds deliver screen time and ratings to advertisers, while the user sometimes remains no more informed or connected than before. We are living in an attention economy where this scarce resource has become the price for much of the information that is around us. Social media – an attention marketplace where regular exchanges of this valuable currency take place – also brings those who are seeking attention. Many visit and revisit Facebook, Instagram, and a host of other apps seeking validation from others, whether the subject is a vacation, a new car, or their most recent cheeseburger. These same platforms are a breeding ground for echo chambers and confirmation bias as individuals with similar perspectives come together. In some cases, the loudest or wildest conspiracy theories within the echo chamber receive the most attention, leading to further bias, misinformation, and in some cases radicalization. Whether searching for attention via shirtless selfies or political misinformation, many see social media as a platform
