Individual attention is, at best, satisfactory and, at worst, self-destructive (Citton, 2017). Citton (2017) believes it is of great importance to reorient our attention to our priorities rather than divert them to the profit of others, and I would have to agree. My number one priority is my family, and every day, it is a struggle to ensure they receive my full attention. Dedicated attentiveness imparts dignity to the person receiving the attention (Citton, 2017), quite a powerful statement! This can be easier said than done in a world full of distractions, alerts and notifications. After reviewing the first pie chart, which breaks down the minutes of my day, it appears my attention is well distributed, primarily focusing on my family. I walked to the soccer field with my oldest daughter to watch my younger daughter play, we ate lunch and dinner together, picked out a Christmas tree and decorated our home. Despite the intention of being present and mindful of where my attention was going, I was still distracted by the digital technology in my life. Upon review of my screen time in phone settings, I learned that I had picked up my phone 153 times the same day and received 85 text messages and 28 other notifications from various applications. This constant demand for attention can increase stress, reduce critical thinking and disrupt focus (Citton, 2017).
Attentional activism is defined as the management of attention (McCreedy, 2024). Digital technologies depend on our attention in order to function (McCreedy, 2024), so how do we ensure that our attention, which is so valuable, is being utilized optimally? Citton (2017) suggests trying to understand what we can do with our attention rather than asking what we should be attentive to. Shifting towards an attention ecology where the value of something is in its use (McCreedy, 2021) would be an excellent place to start. In an attention ecology, attention is absorbed in one’s own learning rather than exchanged (McCreedy, 2024). The aspects of my day where I was most attentive included working on a puzzle, watching soccer and walking in nature. While working on the puzzle, I was most attentive primarily because the puzzle would not have been completed without my complete attention. While watching soccer, I was mindful of the value of my attention. Despite putting my phone on silent and out of sight, I had moments of distraction from the game where I had to stop, pause, and re-direct myself back to the game. This is, in part, because the game did not require my engagement to continue. Walking was the most challenging activity to ensure attentiveness. Paying attention to one’s own attention is a task that is potentially endless, walking without looking at my phone, and paying attention to my surroundings is something that I have been working on for the past year and will continue to have to work on due to the extraneous demands on my attention from work, school, parenting and social networks. Despite their many benefits, digital technologies amplify the fragmentations of our attention (Citton, 2017), so it is essential that we actively engage in meta-cognitive practices in order to impart dignity not only to others but also to ourselves.
References
Citton, Y. (2017). Introduction and conclusion: From attention economy to attention ecology. In Y. Citton, The ecology of attention. John Wiley & Sons.
McCready, S. (2024). Module 8: Attention [MOOC]. University of British Columbia.https://canvas.ubc.ca/courses/147974/pages/attention?module_item_id=7126888