Can You Pay Attention To This?
How the Internet is Reshaping Our Attention
Author’s Note: This essay is written for those who find themselves pulled in many directions, seeking not just critique but practical insight and hope. Whether you’re reading every word or skimming between notifications, the invitation remains: what will you choose to pay attention to next?
My Personal Reflections
There’s a quiet irony in writing about attention at a time when most of us rarely give anything—an article, a conversation, even a meal—our undivided focus. The digital world, with its endless invitations to click, swipe, and scroll, has made it easier than ever to be everywhere and nowhere at once. This splitting of one’s attention can lead to a fragmentation of cognition and is arguably a defining feature of our daily lives.
The Changing Landscape of Focus
Not so long ago, reading a book or a long article was a natural part of daily life. Today, many find themselves bouncing between tabs, notifications, and feeds, rarely settling into the kind of deep focus that once felt effortless. Nicholas Carr, in The Shallows, describes how our brains adapt to the rapid-fire structure of online information. The result? We become adept at skimming and scanning, but less comfortable with sustained engagement.
To quantify these effects, Gloria Mark’s research offers a sobering perspective. In her book Attention Span, she synthesizes decades of findings to show that in typical work settings, people switch tasks every few minutes, often without realizing it. This pattern of relentless task-switching stems less from personal habits than from systemic forces: attention-hijacking software and societal norms that prioritize hyper-connectivity over deep engagement. Mark’s work underscores how relentless interruptions erode focus, increase stress, and make sustained attention increasingly rare.
This shift isn’t confined to individuals. Schools report students struggling to read full novels, while offices normalize “continuous partial attention” as a job requirement. Even leisure activities—once a refuge for uninterrupted immersion—are now punctuated by watch-checking during movies or photo-taking at concerts. The landscape of attention isn’t just changing; it’s being terraformed by design.
Distraction: Cost and Adaptation
It’s tempting to see distraction as a purely negative force, but the reality is more complex. While Gloria Mark’s research quantifies the cognitive toll of task-switching, studies suggest that cognitive flexibility—the ability to shift focus between tasks—enables adaptation in high-demand scenarios1. Emergency responders, for instance, rely on structured protocols to manage interruptions, while parents juggling work and childcare often partition attention into blocks. These examples illustrate how systemic demands shape multitasking strategies, even when they strain mental resources.
The cumulative effect of constant interruptions is undeniable. Johann Hari’s concept of the “attention economy” isn’t just a metaphor—it’s a system where every ping and buzz competes for mental resources, eroding productivity and autonomy. As Hari argues in Stolen Focus, this environment forces workers into a cycle of fractured attention and compensatory speed, heightening stress and diminishing accuracy. Yet adaptation is possible: workplaces adopting “focus hours” or apps like Forest gamify concentration, offering glimpses of balance in a fractured landscape.
Autonomy and Agency in the Digital Age
The commodification of attention has profound implications for self-determination. Shallow thinking, amplified by algorithm-driven content, erodes critical analysis and increases susceptibility to ideological polarization. Constant connectivity fragments self-reflection, as digital devices increasingly dictate the terms of human engagement, prioritizing curated performance over authentic presence. Relentless task-switching, fueled by attention-hijacking software, depletes mental reserves needed for deliberate choices about work, relationships, or civic participation.
Yet agency persists through intentional resistance. Older adults increasingly adopt digital tools not as crutches but as bridges—using medication reminders to maintain independence or video calls to combat isolation2. Younger generations, raised on dopamine-driven apps, are pioneering "attention audits" via screen-time trackers and app blockers like Freedom. Meanwhile, policies such as France’s 2016 "right to disconnect" law challenge the normalization of 24/7 availability, asserting that focus is not just personal but structural3.
Connection Versus Authenticity
The internet’s promise of connection often delivers curated performances rather than genuine presence. Sherry Turkle’s framework of "sips" of communication—texts, likes, reaction emojis—replaces the "meals" of vulnerable, face-to-face dialogue, eroding empathy even in physical gatherings. In Reclaiming Conversation, she argues that these fragmented interactions fracture selfhood, as individuals juggle conflicting digital personas and prioritize performative engagement over authentic connection.
However, digital spaces can foster depth when designed with intentionality. Online support groups for chronic illness sufferers or LGBTQ+ youth demonstrate how moderated forums prioritize vulnerability over virality. Video calls, when used ritualistically—such as weekly family storytelling sessions—mimic the cadence of in-person bonding. The distinction lies in infrastructure: platforms that gamify engagement breed distraction, while those embedding "pause" features, like mindfulness apps with breathwork reminders, cultivate presence.
Rethinking Attention
The path forward demands systemic and individual recalibration. At the societal level, regulating infinite scroll (as proposed in EU Parliament resolutions) and banning autoplay could mitigate compulsive engagement4. Schools might teach "attention literacy," helping students recognize how app designs exploit cognitive biases5.
On a personal scale, reclaiming focus requires treating attention as a finite resource. Structured routines such as scheduled email checks, device-free meals, and designated "deep work" hours help preserve mental energy by minimizing distractions. Even simple acts—turning off notifications during creative tasks or journaling to consolidate fragmented thoughts—rebuild cognitive stamina by reinforcing intentional engagement over reactive habits.
The question is not whether technology harms focus, but what kind of attention we choose to cultivate. Will we outsource our curiosity to algorithmic feeds, or deliberately direct it toward relationships, ideas, and work that resonate? The answer lies in designing tools—and habits—that serve human depth rather than corporate metrics.
Seddon, A. L., Law, A. S., Adams, A.-M., & Simmons, F. R. (2021). Individual differences in media multitasking ability: The importance of cognitive flexibility. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 3, 100068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chbr.2021.100068
AARP. (2024). 2025 technology trends and older adults. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/technology/internet-media-devices/2025-technology-trends-older-adults/
Library of Congress. (2017). France: Right to disconnect takes effect. https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2017-01-13/france-right-to-disconnect-takes-effect/
European Parliament. (2023, December 12). New EU rules needed to address digital addiction (Press Release). https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20231208IPR15767/new-eu-rules-needed-to-address-digital-addiction
Pegrum, M., & Palalas, A. (2021). Attentional literacy as a new literacy: Helping students deal with digital disarray. Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, 47(3). https://doi.org/10.21432/cjlt28037