You have five seconds to get someone’s attention.
Whether it is a blog, a book, a song, or a miniskirt, if you don’t hook ‘em off the bat, chances are they are on to the next.
The relentless onslaught of information has created an attention crisis so severe that places now exist where you voluntarily pay for someone to create an environment of silence for you… And they are full!
A typical urban day is a murderer’s row of advertising blitzes. From the moment you wake up, you are being served ads like Ultimate Frisbees. As you dodge through tube stations, luggage trays, restaurants, and digital screens, every space of free real estate your eyes may potentially see is laced with boldly colored nonsense. Public spaces have become a space grab so profound that one must close their eyes for a respite.
The attention crisis has turned us into monkeys who are routinely unable to focus on anything that is not immediately engaging. I recently learned about micronovelas, which are dramatized soap operas lasting approximately ninety seconds! A whole love story must now be delivered in less time than it takes to fry an egg, adultery and all!
It is unclear how we spin out of this, but it could start with a bit of accountability. Distraction is a vice but also a virtue; disciplined attention is attainable if observed. Recognizing what is useful and what is superfluous, and well carrying on.