[1-2-Read] Protocols For Rescuing Your Attention pt. 1: Willpower Isn't Enough

Welcome to 1-2-Read, a fortnightly letter for paid subscribers! Every issue will give you ideas and practical exercises so that you can walk away as a stronger reader/writer, and now every issue will come with an audio narration. Your contributions keep the lights on around here, and thank you so much for your support!

(1) The Idea: You Can't Fight Tech Companies With Your Willpower

This will be the first post in a series of letters on navigating the internet in the attention economy, and my focus today is to give you a theoretical foundation of why technology in our lives has gotten out of control. And in our next 1-2-Read segment, I’ll introduce you to a comprehensive information diet to make sure that our attention remains intact while still being informed about the world around us. So, without further ado, let’s begin!

The infinite doomscroll

We all know this is not how we’re supposed to consume information. What was once an innocent, 10-second video of a dog munching on a piece of bacon somehow started to take root. It gradually turned into 5 minutes during a work break, then 20 minutes at the dinner table, and eventually it festered into 3+ hours a day. Once the alarm bells start to ring, it’s already too late.

We find it hard to read a book without the impulse to pull out our phones. We can’t stay present when we’re talking to a loved one over brunch. And worst of all, our view of the world gets darker and darker, to the point where we’re completely polarised beyond the point of no return.  

We also invite comparisons, feeling worse about who we are and what we do daily. We invent enemies, attacking anyone who doesn’t agree with us. And worse, the new information economy always demands the impossible.

Keep up! It instructs. But the discourse that was gospel has just become obsolete. Join in! It yells. But by the time you turn up at the town’s square, everyone has already changed their slogan. Seek Truth! It preaches. But the truth makes you question your sanity.

This is the attention economy at play.

It is the mercury filling of our intellectual lives. If left untreated, it’ll keep leaking poison into our systems so that no matter how great our reading techniques & habits are, we’ll still struggle with a permanent transition from consumption to that sacred activity that makes us human: education.

So, today, instead of introducing you to another gimmick to read better, let’s get to the core of this thorny habit and extract it once and for all.

Understanding Additive vs Extractive Technology