8 ms·

Attention is a luxury good

195 points by herbertl 1y ago

alganet 1y ago
I interpret the post as the author trying to convey a message of self-worth. From where I am, I can't possibly know if that's a genuine message with valuable advice, or some self-justification he's making about himself, or some trick (of which there are many related to messages of self-worth). He acknowledge hints of these possibilities by saying that attention provides "a message to ourselves and others". That is a fascinating brain leak right there. In a more real assessment of reality, the truth is that I don't have much control over my attention. Might as well just let it flow and see what I can do with whatever comes from the interaction, no worries. Does that imply the risk of falling into an attention trap? Definitely. Anyone that says he is not subject to that risk is lying.
asim 1y ago
Can't tell if it should be upvoted or not because attention is devoted to many addictive behaviours which I'd argue are not a luxury but the desperation of people who have been exploited or attempting to escape. You don't become addicted because of luxury. Attention is not a luxury. It's our time. It's our most precious resource and when it's "wasted" it's often because something is going terribly wrong.
- brailsafe 1y ago
  > You don't become addicted because of luxury. Attention is not a luxury. Hmm, I think there's more nuance here, how about cars? Many people let themselves be much more dependent on them than they need to be, and in many cases adjusting their life around the car or the assumption that you'll always have this behemoth thing with an engine parked outside at all times sucking money out of your bank account, making your muscles and maybe social skills atrophy, exposing you to the risk of death all the time. You get comfortable with the experience of not having to do anything more than press a button, much like content addiction and smartphones, vaping, etc.. Removing the car creates a sense of pain, you have to move your body, possibly interact
- ileonichwiesz 1y ago
  > You don't become addicted because of luxury. The definition of a luxury is “Something that is not essential but provides pleasure and comfort.” I’d actually argue that you can only get addicted to luxuries. You wouldn’t say you’re addicted to food, water, or shelter because you need to have them every day.
  - layla5alive 1y ago
    You can definitely get addicted to food. Eating far above caloric needs because of stress, or because of actual addiction are both common.
andy99 1y ago
The article probably could just have been that statement, but I agree. Every experience now just seems like people (companies) fighting over who can most obnoxiously distract you. I bought a new phone recently for the first time in 8 years, and (a) had to set everything up all at once (ad blocking, no notifications, etc) which left me briefly exposed to how bad things are but (b) had to experience all the annoyingness of a modern phone trying to suggest things and sync things and bother me with stuff I don’t want. No product is even remotely for the consumer anymore, they’re all just minimal pretenses to try and advertise you and extract more of your attention and money. So yeah, outside some sheltered life of luxury, it’s a constant fight to preserve focus against people wanting to steal it.
- nxor 1y ago
  Completely agree, and it's sad that people put their machines over relationships with other people / coworkers / focusing on those relationships.
  - MichaelZuo 1y ago
    It’s always been like that, misanthropes, psychos, regular scoundrels, etc. have always existed. Of course in the past there were less opportunities to hide or excuse that kind of behavior.
    - fn-mote 1y ago
      > misanthropes You're underestimating the impact, in my opinion. Almost EVERYONE puts their devices over relationships. Not as bad, but even when the relationship gets priority, it can be mediated by the device. E.g., texting close family members. It's another chance to be a victim of attention-stealing because you start the device session for a good reason.
      - MichaelZuo 1y ago
        It seems clearly possible nearly everyone you know could be a closet misanthrope/psycho/scoundrel/etc. ? And all they needed were convenient excuses and opportunities to indulge in that behavior. i.e. it could genuinely be their true self, unattractive as it may be.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
Havoc 1y ago
I like the parallels to time more - everyone has a finite amount & spend it wisely. Handbag..idk the metaphor doesn't really work for me
Vektorceraptor 1y ago
For those interested in that topic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy
poidos 1y ago
It's worse. Attention is all we have.
- andy99 1y ago
  I heard somewhere it was all you need
shermantanktop 1y ago
The payoff is the last line: “ If you’ve signed up to offer an attention-luxury good, you undermine it when you also try to make it quick and convenient.” Culture is also a luxury good, by this definition. If you read the Wikipedia summary of a Shakespeare play, you can fake a basic understanding of the plot. But you’ve gotten the social proof (e.g. dinner-party survival) without the deeper appreciation of the characters and their motivations. As far as that goes, empathy seems to be a borderline luxury good at this point.
- FloorEgg 1y ago
  It seems that way (re empathy as a luxury) but I don't think it's true. Empathy builds cooperation and biases towards game theory optimal, which increases chances of survival and furniture thriving. It doesn't seem like this right now, because all our luxuries are built on momentum enabled by past empathy. In fact it's the lack of empathy (and curiosity) for others that is causing more suffering and an increasing trend towards lose-lose dynamics, it's just hard to see because the scale across people, time and space is so vast. Like everything else (reality as vibrations), it seems that global empathy oscillates up and down across generations, with a long-term trend upwards. So I don't think empathy is a luxury, empathy enables luxury. It's just hard to see past the silver spoon narcissists and collective victim mentality in the current context. I'm optimistic more empathy is in our future, even if not short or medium term.
  - UncleOxidant 1y ago
    Well said. There's an odd suspicion of empathy at this point (even some right-wing Christians calling empathy evil which is really odd considering what the founder of their religion taught). There's so much grievance on all sides that's being fueled by various media outlets and algorithms. Grievance says "I've been uniquely wronged". And it leads to giving up on empathy so as to get even.
    - CGMthrowaway 1y ago
      I suspect your comment references Allie Stuckey, who wrote a book "Toxic Empathy" and was viral in a video with this idea recently.[1] To the unfamiliar reader, her concept of "toxic empathy" can be boiled down thus- -Empathy becomes "toxic" when it encourages a person to affirm sin, validate lies or support destructive policies -Truth over feelings. Biblical love does not blindly affirm an individual's feelings or choices if those choices violate moral truth For a tangible example of these ideas and their connect to the Gospel (what "the founder" taught), watch the video. [1]https://youtu.be/BUjeVodnbzA?t=2978 https://youtu.be/BUjeVodnbzA?t=2978
blfr 1y ago
I know that words are largely arbitrary and arguing terms isn't very valuable but these phenomenons already have fairly commonly used names. OP writes about conspicuous consumption/leisure, not really luxury. Similarly, while a Birkin bag could be considered a luxury good, its defining feature is being something more, the artificial scarcity and increased demand with price amke it a Veblen good. Also, things you can buy with attention aren't really expensive, they're just constantly priced. That is you have 10-14 hours of attention a day, and you use it or lose it, every minute of attention is largely the same, with a little ADHD you can switch quickly. Listening to a concert online and going to the philharmonics costs about the same in attention.
markus_zhang 1y ago
It is. And focus, especially the ability to focus on a tough topic for a non trivial amount of time, is luxury, too. I hereby advice anyone who has a non trivial curiosity about ∀ that requires focus and concentration (pretty much ∪ of HN interests) to appreciate it and care it as if it is your most precious procession. I have said this before and I’ll say it again — if you are not super into getting a kid, don’t.
turzmo 1y ago
I dunno, it sounds like novels and operas and whatnot are the luxury goods paid for with attention. In this case attention (or time, more simply) is the thing that is spent, taking the place of money.
stared 1y ago
It fits the "attention is a precious resource" metaphor (in the sense of Johnson and Lakoff metaphors. Alike overfishing, alike taking most of land from nature to cities, mining and agriculture, we can look at attention as a resource than once was ubiquotious, now is scarce... and luxury.
whalesalad 1y ago
POV you are reading my drafts folder when I just got violently stoned off the penjamin.
jackblemming 1y ago
The evil in this world would love to peddle the idea that having any free time, not living in a shitty apartment with four other people, or not dying of hunger or treatable disease is a “luxury”.
lazyfanatic42 1y ago
I had to re-read the brief article 3 times to understand it, I find the wording particularly difficult to parse for some reason. I admit, I am not the brightest, but there is something very off with how it is put together to me.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- CGMthrowaway 1y ago
  In that regard, he is practicing what he is preaching :) If his intention is to offer a blog post that is a "luxury" to read, that is, conspicuous consumption, he's doing himself a disservice if he makes it too easy to understand. I don't necessarily agree, but in the words of Jeff Goldblum, well, there it is.
nullorempty 1y ago
Couldn't afford the luxury of reading...
temptemptemp111 1y ago
[dead]
bobek 1y ago
Adam Grant had recently Daniel Immerwahr on attention span and how it really has not shortened despite popular beliefs. In the age of social media and short-form content, many people insist that our attention spans are getting shorter. But historian Daniel Immerwahr reminds us that people have cried wolf for centuries about technology hijacking our attention. In this episode, Adam and Daniel dive into evidence that what’s changing is not our attention spans, but the objects of our focus. They also discuss moral panics of the past, compare the cognitive benefits of video games and the opera, and debate whether or not Marvel movies are a waste of time. https://podcastaddict.com/worklife-with-adam-grant/episode/203661360 https://podcastaddict.com/worklife-with-adam-grant/episode/2...
- eddywebs 1y ago
  I feel reason for short attention span be something todo with living in continuously added multi threaded world (current) vs not so multi threaded (past) requiring us to keep switching attention for example me writing this comment while monitoring a system while listening to music while thinking about the supper.
motohagiography 1y ago
> Luxury is a marker that we can afford to do something others might consider wasteful. the most interesting luxury thing i saw was palmer luckey showing his modretro chromatic game boy in his interview with rogan this week. sapphire crystal screen, special alloy from the weapons factory, offline, 90s aesthetic, exists for the pleasure of it, etc. what luxury really is is an expression of value, or values. the most coarse version of that is "status," but what about religious garb, artifacts and symbols? to an atheist, a hijab or a cross is a luxury item, but to the wearer, they are the literal, existential point of being. it's pretty crass and unserious to suggest these are just status symbols in a materialist power struggle. things that express values that bring you joy or pleasure are not a "luxury," as this presumes you are nothing but an undifferentiated clump of cells with the same material needs as any other one, and any distinction in satisfying those needs is superfluous. and to what? your meaningless existence as grist for an eternal struggle? surely. we need a new model of luxury. in economics, there are normal and inferior goods, then giffen goods whose demand becomes higher when the price rises, veblen goods whose price is inverse to utility, and some other ones, but they are all names for the shapes of price and demand curves, but they're all just curves. materialist ideas about luxury are dumb thought terminating cliches that deprive others of the opportunity to contemplate or appreciate them. we need new thinking, imo
Barrin92 1y ago
Not really a fan of this econ 101 language given that it if anything drastically understates the importance of attention. I prefer Ian McGilchrist's framing of attention as a moral act: "Attention is a moral act: it creates, brings aspects of things into being, but in doing so makes others recede. What a thing is depends on who is attending to it, and in what way. The fact that a place is special to some because of its great peace and beauty may, by that very fact, make it for another a resource to exploit, in such a way that its peace and beauty are destroyed. Attention has consequences" A good friend of mine is an Imam and he explained to me that in Islam heedlessness is even described as a sin(Al-Ghaflah). Attention is not just a luxury good, and forgetfulness just some waste of time or money, it destroys a person's ability to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. One of the reasons why we seem to be so ineffective at combating distraction is I think because we've even lost that kind of language that makes clear how consequential lack of attention is.
- RLAIF 1y ago
  [dead]
FuckButtons 1y ago
Im not sending the rest of the world signals to because of how I choose to spend my time. Nor is the alternative optimized adaptive survival. I can’t figure out if I’m the one with the alien mind or he is. I go to music events because the experience is qualitatively different than listening to music at home, when I choose to do things, it’s because I want to, not because I have any interest in what other people think of me for engaging in those activities.
- brbrodude 1y ago
  I was put off too, this money speak now feels way too stale and lifeless for me.
RcouF1uZ4gsC 1y ago
I think we can go further. Human attention is the determinant of monetary value. Gold is expensive because it takes a lot of human attention to find and refine it. Food became cheaper when it required less human attention to make it.
amelius 1y ago
Attention is worth money. It is about time society acknowledges this obvious fact. If you want my attention you must follow a protocol, like with regular payments where you don't put your hand in my pocket.
pwdisswordfishs 1y ago
> A Birkin bag is a luxury good, and so is reading an entire non-fiction book, listening to a public radio broadcast The latter two items statement make this more of a self-report* than anything else. I have never read more more books nor listened to more podcasts than the year when I was homeless. * the author doesn't actually enjoy those two things and considers their value to lie in signaling ("sending a message")
momentmaker 1y ago
attention is worship
crvbnmd 1y ago
You can tell people that they should take the time to read books, watch documentaries, play long strategy board games, watch C-SPAN, go on long walks or hikes, etc. But It’s baked into our brains to want to eliminate additional work when it comes to getting information and feeling validated, and this won’t get any better as long as there are devices and substances that keep making the dopamine hits coming faster.
slowmovintarget 1y ago
I was listening to Curt Jaimungal's recent interview with Stephen Wolfram. Wolfram dropped an interesting tidbit of an idea about the underlying foundation of "value" in economics. Because the one absolute limiting resource on every human being is time, things that are computationally reducible are valuable. He gave an example. Given infinite time, we could make our own mobile phone. But they are valuable precisely because rather than gather all the raw materials, make all of the higher-order components, and assemble the phone ourselves, we can walk into a store and exchange currency for that finished good. This pattern recurs over and over. So value comes from our ability do or get things that we would otherwise spend significant portions of our lives doing or making for ourselves. Attention it time.
hank_z 1y ago
I personally believe the invention of TikTok is recession of human civilisation.
RLAIF 1y ago
[dead]
kratosadamas 1y ago
Taylor Swift in a recent podcast said “You should think of your energy as if it's expensive; as if it's a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it” The author seemed to have taken it and made it into an article.

195 points by herbertl 1y ago

I interpret the post as the author trying to convey a message of self-worth. From where I am, I can't possibly know if that's a genuine message with valuable advice, or some self-justification he's making about himself, or some trick (of which there are many related to messages of self-worth). He acknowledge hints of these possibilities by saying that attention provides "a message to ourselves and others". That is a fascinating brain leak right there. In a more real assessment of reality, the truth is that I don't have much control over my attention. Might as well just let it flow and see what I can do with whatever comes from the interaction, no worries. Does that imply the risk of falling into an attention trap? Definitely. Anyone that says he is not subject to that risk is lying.

asim 1y ago

Can't tell if it should be upvoted or not because attention is devoted to many addictive behaviours which I'd argue are not a luxury but the desperation of people who have been exploited or attempting to escape. You don't become addicted because of luxury. Attention is not a luxury. It's our time. It's our most precious resource and when it's "wasted" it's often because something is going terribly wrong.

brailsafe 1y ago
> You don't become addicted because of luxury. Attention is not a luxury. Hmm, I think there's more nuance here, how about cars? Many people let themselves be much more dependent on them than they need to be, and in many cases adjusting their life around the car or the assumption that you'll always have this behemoth thing with an engine parked outside at all times sucking money out of your bank account, making your muscles and maybe social skills atrophy, exposing you to the risk of death all the time. You get comfortable with the experience of not having to do anything more than press a button, much like content addiction and smartphones, vaping, etc.. Removing the car creates a sense of pain, you have to move your body, possibly interact
ileonichwiesz 1y ago
> You don't become addicted because of luxury. The definition of a luxury is “Something that is not essential but provides pleasure and comfort.” I’d actually argue that you can only get addicted to luxuries. You wouldn’t say you’re addicted to food, water, or shelter because you need to have them every day.
- layla5alive 1y ago
  You can definitely get addicted to food. Eating far above caloric needs because of stress, or because of actual addiction are both common.

andy99 1y ago

The article probably could just have been that statement, but I agree. Every experience now just seems like people (companies) fighting over who can most obnoxiously distract you. I bought a new phone recently for the first time in 8 years, and (a) had to set everything up all at once (ad blocking, no notifications, etc) which left me briefly exposed to how bad things are but (b) had to experience all the annoyingness of a modern phone trying to suggest things and sync things and bother me with stuff I don’t want. No product is even remotely for the consumer anymore, they’re all just minimal pretenses to try and advertise you and extract more of your attention and money. So yeah, outside some sheltered life of luxury, it’s a constant fight to preserve focus against people wanting to steal it.

nxor 1y ago
Completely agree, and it's sad that people put their machines over relationships with other people / coworkers / focusing on those relationships.
- MichaelZuo 1y ago
  It’s always been like that, misanthropes, psychos, regular scoundrels, etc. have always existed. Of course in the past there were less opportunities to hide or excuse that kind of behavior.
  - fn-mote 1y ago
    > misanthropes You're underestimating the impact, in my opinion. Almost EVERYONE puts their devices over relationships. Not as bad, but even when the relationship gets priority, it can be mediated by the device. E.g., texting close family members. It's another chance to be a victim of attention-stealing because you start the device session for a good reason.
    - MichaelZuo 1y ago
      It seems clearly possible nearly everyone you know could be a closet misanthrope/psycho/scoundrel/etc. ? And all they needed were convenient excuses and opportunities to indulge in that behavior. i.e. it could genuinely be their true self, unattractive as it may be.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

Havoc 1y ago

I like the parallels to time more - everyone has a finite amount & spend it wisely. Handbag..idk the metaphor doesn't really work for me

Vektorceraptor 1y ago

For those interested in that topic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy

poidos 1y ago

It's worse. Attention is all we have.

andy99 1y ago
I heard somewhere it was all you need

shermantanktop 1y ago

The payoff is the last line: “ If you’ve signed up to offer an attention-luxury good, you undermine it when you also try to make it quick and convenient.” Culture is also a luxury good, by this definition. If you read the Wikipedia summary of a Shakespeare play, you can fake a basic understanding of the plot. But you’ve gotten the social proof (e.g. dinner-party survival) without the deeper appreciation of the characters and their motivations. As far as that goes, empathy seems to be a borderline luxury good at this point.

FloorEgg 1y ago
It seems that way (re empathy as a luxury) but I don't think it's true. Empathy builds cooperation and biases towards game theory optimal, which increases chances of survival and furniture thriving. It doesn't seem like this right now, because all our luxuries are built on momentum enabled by past empathy. In fact it's the lack of empathy (and curiosity) for others that is causing more suffering and an increasing trend towards lose-lose dynamics, it's just hard to see because the scale across people, time and space is so vast. Like everything else (reality as vibrations), it seems that global empathy oscillates up and down across generations, with a long-term trend upwards. So I don't think empathy is a luxury, empathy enables luxury. It's just hard to see past the silver spoon narcissists and collective victim mentality in the current context. I'm optimistic more empathy is in our future, even if not short or medium term.
- UncleOxidant 1y ago
  Well said. There's an odd suspicion of empathy at this point (even some right-wing Christians calling empathy evil which is really odd considering what the founder of their religion taught). There's so much grievance on all sides that's being fueled by various media outlets and algorithms. Grievance says "I've been uniquely wronged". And it leads to giving up on empathy so as to get even.
  - CGMthrowaway 1y ago
    I suspect your comment references Allie Stuckey, who wrote a book "Toxic Empathy" and was viral in a video with this idea recently.[1] To the unfamiliar reader, her concept of "toxic empathy" can be boiled down thus- -Empathy becomes "toxic" when it encourages a person to affirm sin, validate lies or support destructive policies -Truth over feelings. Biblical love does not blindly affirm an individual's feelings or choices if those choices violate moral truth For a tangible example of these ideas and their connect to the Gospel (what "the founder" taught), watch the video. [1]https://youtu.be/BUjeVodnbzA?t=2978 https://youtu.be/BUjeVodnbzA?t=2978

blfr 1y ago

I know that words are largely arbitrary and arguing terms isn't very valuable but these phenomenons already have fairly commonly used names. OP writes about conspicuous consumption/leisure, not really luxury. Similarly, while a Birkin bag could be considered a luxury good, its defining feature is being something more, the artificial scarcity and increased demand with price amke it a Veblen good. Also, things you can buy with attention aren't really expensive, they're just constantly priced. That is you have 10-14 hours of attention a day, and you use it or lose it, every minute of attention is largely the same, with a little ADHD you can switch quickly. Listening to a concert online and going to the philharmonics costs about the same in attention.

markus_zhang 1y ago

It is. And focus, especially the ability to focus on a tough topic for a non trivial amount of time, is luxury, too. I hereby advice anyone who has a non trivial curiosity about ∀ that requires focus and concentration (pretty much ∪ of HN interests) to appreciate it and care it as if it is your most precious procession. I have said this before and I’ll say it again — if you are not super into getting a kid, don’t.

turzmo 1y ago

I dunno, it sounds like novels and operas and whatnot are the luxury goods paid for with attention. In this case attention (or time, more simply) is the thing that is spent, taking the place of money.

stared 1y ago

It fits the "attention is a precious resource" metaphor (in the sense of Johnson and Lakoff metaphors. Alike overfishing, alike taking most of land from nature to cities, mining and agriculture, we can look at attention as a resource than once was ubiquotious, now is scarce... and luxury.

whalesalad 1y ago

POV you are reading my drafts folder when I just got violently stoned off the penjamin.

jackblemming 1y ago

The evil in this world would love to peddle the idea that having any free time, not living in a shitty apartment with four other people, or not dying of hunger or treatable disease is a “luxury”.

lazyfanatic42 1y ago

I had to re-read the brief article 3 times to understand it, I find the wording particularly difficult to parse for some reason. I admit, I am not the brightest, but there is something very off with how it is put together to me.

deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
CGMthrowaway 1y ago
In that regard, he is practicing what he is preaching :) If his intention is to offer a blog post that is a "luxury" to read, that is, conspicuous consumption, he's doing himself a disservice if he makes it too easy to understand. I don't necessarily agree, but in the words of Jeff Goldblum, well, there it is.

nullorempty 1y ago

Couldn't afford the luxury of reading...

temptemptemp111 1y ago

[dead]

bobek 1y ago

Adam Grant had recently Daniel Immerwahr on attention span and how it really has not shortened despite popular beliefs. In the age of social media and short-form content, many people insist that our attention spans are getting shorter. But historian Daniel Immerwahr reminds us that people have cried wolf for centuries about technology hijacking our attention. In this episode, Adam and Daniel dive into evidence that what’s changing is not our attention spans, but the objects of our focus. They also discuss moral panics of the past, compare the cognitive benefits of video games and the opera, and debate whether or not Marvel movies are a waste of time. https://podcastaddict.com/worklife-with-adam-grant/episode/203661360 https://podcastaddict.com/worklife-with-adam-grant/episode/2...

eddywebs 1y ago
I feel reason for short attention span be something todo with living in continuously added multi threaded world (current) vs not so multi threaded (past) requiring us to keep switching attention for example me writing this comment while monitoring a system while listening to music while thinking about the supper.

motohagiography 1y ago

> Luxury is a marker that we can afford to do something others might consider wasteful. the most interesting luxury thing i saw was palmer luckey showing his modretro chromatic game boy in his interview with rogan this week. sapphire crystal screen, special alloy from the weapons factory, offline, 90s aesthetic, exists for the pleasure of it, etc. what luxury really is is an expression of value, or values. the most coarse version of that is "status," but what about religious garb, artifacts and symbols? to an atheist, a hijab or a cross is a luxury item, but to the wearer, they are the literal, existential point of being. it's pretty crass and unserious to suggest these are just status symbols in a materialist power struggle. things that express values that bring you joy or pleasure are not a "luxury," as this presumes you are nothing but an undifferentiated clump of cells with the same material needs as any other one, and any distinction in satisfying those needs is superfluous. and to what? your meaningless existence as grist for an eternal struggle? surely. we need a new model of luxury. in economics, there are normal and inferior goods, then giffen goods whose demand becomes higher when the price rises, veblen goods whose price is inverse to utility, and some other ones, but they are all names for the shapes of price and demand curves, but they're all just curves. materialist ideas about luxury are dumb thought terminating cliches that deprive others of the opportunity to contemplate or appreciate them. we need new thinking, imo

Barrin92 1y ago

Not really a fan of this econ 101 language given that it if anything drastically understates the importance of attention. I prefer Ian McGilchrist's framing of attention as a moral act: "Attention is a moral act: it creates, brings aspects of things into being, but in doing so makes others recede. What a thing is depends on who is attending to it, and in what way. The fact that a place is special to some because of its great peace and beauty may, by that very fact, make it for another a resource to exploit, in such a way that its peace and beauty are destroyed. Attention has consequences" A good friend of mine is an Imam and he explained to me that in Islam heedlessness is even described as a sin(Al-Ghaflah). Attention is not just a luxury good, and forgetfulness just some waste of time or money, it destroys a person's ability to distinguish between what's real and what isn't. One of the reasons why we seem to be so ineffective at combating distraction is I think because we've even lost that kind of language that makes clear how consequential lack of attention is.

RLAIF 1y ago
[dead]

FuckButtons 1y ago

Im not sending the rest of the world signals to because of how I choose to spend my time. Nor is the alternative optimized adaptive survival. I can’t figure out if I’m the one with the alien mind or he is. I go to music events because the experience is qualitatively different than listening to music at home, when I choose to do things, it’s because I want to, not because I have any interest in what other people think of me for engaging in those activities.

brbrodude 1y ago
I was put off too, this money speak now feels way too stale and lifeless for me.

RcouF1uZ4gsC 1y ago

I think we can go further. Human attention is the determinant of monetary value. Gold is expensive because it takes a lot of human attention to find and refine it. Food became cheaper when it required less human attention to make it.

amelius 1y ago

Attention is worth money. It is about time society acknowledges this obvious fact. If you want my attention you must follow a protocol, like with regular payments where you don't put your hand in my pocket.

pwdisswordfishs 1y ago

> A Birkin bag is a luxury good, and so is reading an entire non-fiction book, listening to a public radio broadcast The latter two items statement make this more of a self-report* than anything else. I have never read more more books nor listened to more podcasts than the year when I was homeless. * the author doesn't actually enjoy those two things and considers their value to lie in signaling ("sending a message")

momentmaker 1y ago

attention is worship

crvbnmd 1y ago

You can tell people that they should take the time to read books, watch documentaries, play long strategy board games, watch C-SPAN, go on long walks or hikes, etc. But It’s baked into our brains to want to eliminate additional work when it comes to getting information and feeling validated, and this won’t get any better as long as there are devices and substances that keep making the dopamine hits coming faster.

slowmovintarget 1y ago

I was listening to Curt Jaimungal's recent interview with Stephen Wolfram. Wolfram dropped an interesting tidbit of an idea about the underlying foundation of "value" in economics. Because the one absolute limiting resource on every human being is time, things that are computationally reducible are valuable. He gave an example. Given infinite time, we could make our own mobile phone. But they are valuable precisely because rather than gather all the raw materials, make all of the higher-order components, and assemble the phone ourselves, we can walk into a store and exchange currency for that finished good. This pattern recurs over and over. So value comes from our ability do or get things that we would otherwise spend significant portions of our lives doing or making for ourselves. Attention it time.

hank_z 1y ago

I personally believe the invention of TikTok is recession of human civilisation.

RLAIF 1y ago

[dead]

kratosadamas 1y ago

Taylor Swift in a recent podcast said “You should think of your energy as if it's expensive; as if it's a luxury item. Not everyone can afford it” The author seemed to have taken it and made it into an article.