for attention and validation sometimes comes at the expense of authenticity as we prioritize the rewards of the platform with perfect strangers at the expense of meaning and connection with those closest to us.
There are immense benefits to this information age. It provides incredible power to fuel our abilities to problem solve, create, and even help those who live a world away. Our sustained connectivity fuels almost every aspect of our daily lives. Algorithms help fight crime and enable better medical diagnoses. We have the capabilities to be informed voters and investors, learning about each issue and how it impacts our communities, families, and wallets. There is not only a democratization of information but also a universal ability to express our viewpoints. Social media provides the billions who engage it the ability to convey their lived experience, no matter how trivial or serious. However, with all of those benefits, there are by‐products to this information age that have real implications on our ability to experience our environment, think critically, and live our lives to the fullest. Technology, and all of the information that goes along with it, somehow evolved from a tool to get us to our life's destinations to our actual destination. These by‐products, which largely focus on the scarcity of our attention as well as the psychological issues that come with all of this information and connectivity, are at the heart of Numb.
I wanted Numb to have a real purpose in people's lives. It was not enough to identify the problems with this information age, many of which are quite apparent. But rather, I wanted to present real solutions. I interviewed over 60 professionals, ranging from psychologists to researchers to everyday people, to talk about ways that each of us can address many of the challenges that come from this information age. Each of these interviews has been incredibly useful in my own personal journey, and I hope you see the same value as you read. I present research from a variety of fields in a manner that I hope is digestible and relevant and, perhaps most importantly, answers the “so what” of many aspects of our lives. Nowhere in this book do I argue in favor of any type of technology oasis or dopamine fasting where we cut off our access to social media or any other platform or information source. Rather, Numb is written to help us use information and technology as a tool to make our lives better. Our smartphones, PCs, televisions, radios, and all the other devices that help us receive and create information can be useful to us if they are an accompaniment to our lives, rather than the primary focus of our attention.
My vision for Numb is a book that can be read cover to cover, with short chapters for attention‐scarce readers living in a busy world. I suspect that you will identify with some of the topics and vignettes more than others, but regardless, the book is written with context (i.e., the real world) in mind. After the first read – and as the many devices and sources of information once again work to steal your attention – I hope that Numb can be a semi‐regular reference; a reminder of how to take control and use technology to accentuate our lives rather than control them. At the end of the day (or perhaps at the end of the book), Numb is a guided reflection for each of us to determine our own relationship with this information age. The suggestions shared in this book are designed to empower you to use information, and the positive power and connectivity that can go along with it, towards productivity and authenticity. Now that Numb has your attention, let us begin.
Acknowledgments
A special thank you to all of the researchers, clinicians, and everyday people who generously contributed to this book. Each one of them were asked to be part of this project because of their expertise and, perhaps more importantly, their willingness to help others. I hope that each of their voices shines through in this book.
Thank you to the team at Wiley for believing in this project from the very beginning and supporting this vision. It was a long time coming to fruition, and throughout, Wiley was steadfast in their support. I cannot imagine a better creative partner.
Introduction
Our attention impacts our world and our world impacts our attention. With attention comes our awareness. Sometimes focused, sometimes divided, our attention helps us in our work, using our knowledge and skills towards everything from problem solving to creating a safe work environment on a job site. It also brings a focus on those around us, noticing their behavior and appearance, what they say and how they say it. With our attention also comes compassion towards the suffering of our neighbor or those far away. Attention is that critical prerequisite to so many of the thoughts, feelings, and actions that make us human. Being educated, skilled, or even empathetic means little without attention. If our attention is not focused on a conversation, we cannot bring our perspective, expertise, or caring to that dialogue. One could have all of the resources in the world to cure disease, fight hunger, or end wars, but if her attention isn't focused on those problems, those resources are not much use.
Each of us has only so much attention. If we focus on something – whether a sound, sight, smell, or touch – that focus is highlighting something as much as it is blocking other sights or sounds around us. For example, as you read this book, you are focusing on the words on this page at the expense of the sounds of voices around you, the smell of food in the kitchen, or even the feeling of the chair in which you are sitting. Attention is a limited resource, so we have to be selective about what we want to focus. If you have this book open, you cannot focus on the words on this page if you are attending to the sound of the neighbors arguing next door. Given that attention is linked to our consciousness, we have in it a valuable and finite resource that requires careful management. If you do not have control of your attention, someone or something else will take it. Walking through any city or town, you will notice the sights, sounds, and even smells that are clamoring (sometimes literally) for your attention. Advertisers and proprietors large and small all know that if your attention is captured, your wallet may soon follow. They use colorful signs and ads, music, and a host of other tactics to lure your attention to their product. Incidentally, my favorite is Cinnabon. They purposely place those ovens in the front of the store to grab your attention with that delicious cinnamon smell. My wallet indeed follows my attention, which takes me on a path towards deliciousness, followed by an even longer path on the treadmill to compensate for it!
Lots of humans in our lives want our attention, too. Bosses, partners, families, and neighbors all want varying levels of our attention at different times. Some want our attention focused towards our work and others want attention focused on their needs to be heard, touched, and loved. When we focus our attention on people and activities, they tend to go better. Or perhaps better stated, if we do not focus our attention on people and activities, they have a higher likelihood of going much worse. If you do not focus your attention on your spouse or partner for a week or a day or maybe even a moment at dinner, it is likely not going to guarantee a healthy interaction. If you do not focus your attention on your work, the quality of your work will likely suffer as well.
The relationship between attention and this information age is powerful. Technology, and all the information that comes along with it, has created numerous places where we can devote our attention. We can (and do) spend our time fixated on the screens around and with us all day, scrolling through social media feeds, responding to text messages, and swiping left and right to glance at profiles of potential mates. We can binge‐watch Netflix, YouTube, and cable news programs, and argue with strangers on Twitter about politics, sports teams, and the best breed of cat to own during a blizzard. Each of these activities can take us down rabbit holes that can kill hours per day. We all seem to receive emails by the dozen. Adobe surveyed 1,000 workers and found that they spend on average close to five hours per day checking email. Five hours looking inside a mailbox! It is rather astounding that given the amount of time that so many of us spend reading, responding, and composing emails that “Outlook Etiquette” isn't part of the interview process for many employment positions. “Do you end your emails with ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Best’? We are really looking for a ‘I hope you are well' person to join our team.” Oh, and “Read‐receipt people need not apply.” Nevertheless, each of our emails require our attention to read, process, and respond, knowing
