Idea Review – I Haven’t Read the Book Yet

I’m politicked out. Yes, we had an election yesterday and yes, there will be another one in four years or less. It’s not that I don’t care – I care deeply.

I’ve simply had enough with discussing and being asked about parties and politics. Come to think of it, I feel the same about the topic of cooking. Also house cleaning, intermittent fasting, motorcycle riding, health care, construction, voice-over techniques, and backyard fires.

A new book by MSNBC host Chris Hayes speaks to how I’m feeling. And since Hayes bothered to write a book about it and it’s a New York Times bestseller, I’m not alone.

There are too many things vying for our attention. In fact, Hayes argues that attention is the biggest commodity in the world right now. That phone you hold in your hand, the laptop at your table, the podcasts, streaming, TV, everything wants a piece of you. There are so many more things competing for our time and most of them are electronic. Without even realizing it, we’re giving in too often and too easily.

Attention Deficit Disorder, Indeed

In the last decade or so, we have been programmed by our gadgets and apps to stay busy, alert, responsive to every bit of communication we receive. If someone isn’t texting then there’s a comment on a Facebook post or a new YouTube video. If not that then it’s an app notification. On and on it goes, all by design. A few big tech firms figured all this out and knew they could keep us using their devices for hour after hour and get filthy rich.

Remember how we used to sit in a doctor’s waiting room? We might have talked to someone but more likely leafed through an old magazine. We felt the time pass slowly. Now we can’t stand the boredom. Real life isn’t fast enough. We’re all face down in our phones so we’re occupied, making money for big corporations. Click click click! Love our game? Rate it in the app store! CLICK!

Someone wise once said, “if it’s free to use, then you are the commodity.” Social media tracks us like bears stalking rodents. Our apps know where we are at all times and how long we spend on them. All of that data turns into advertising rates and more. And it’s burning us out.

Blurring the Lines

In his book, Chris Hayes writes that society used to have a defined line between public and private lives. That’s gone. If you’re on social media, forget about it. Most people don’t exercise control over their privacy and everything’s out there for all to see.

Sidebar: What is the reason for a “private” Instagram account? I’m genuinely curious. Could someone explain to me why their account is private? Because when someone follows me I immediately want to follow them back UNLESS their account is private. I don’t understand. Thank you!

We’re old enough to remember a time before all this. And yet here we are. As much as I’ve reduced my time on my phone and on social media, I’m still there a lot. People say, I don’t do social media, I’m only on YouTube watching videos. That’s social media, friend. In fact, YouTube is the biggest social media app in the world. LinkedIn wants you to think it’s all about business but it’s a billion-dollar baby, too. They grabbed us and put us to work for them when we weren’t looking. Great. When I’m not working the scanner at Shopper’s I’m working for Google!

Real People Matter

One of my favourite things about volunteering is that I don’t have my phone with me. I have to find ways to deal with awkward moments and boring moments, and moments when I don’t know what I should be doing. It’s frickin’ liberating. I’m not about to give up my phone but a break from it sure does the mind some good.

I admire people who don’t go with the flow and either stay off social media or strictly limit it. I don’t think Chris Hayes could do without his phone. What if he’s looped into a chat about a war in Yemen, I mean, come on! Plus his job demands it. Mine does too, but to a lesser extent. I’m proud of the reductions I’ve made but there’s a long way to go.

The book is titled, The Siren’s Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource. I can’t help but notice that the book is vying for our attention too. But I’m going to read it anyway. This blog post wants your attention as well. But it’s also not trying to sell you anything, nor is it tracking you or counting your clicks!