The architects of the modern digital landscape are optimizing all devices and services to exploit our desires. The human vulnerability - the need and

The Catastrophe of Shiny Objects: Boredom, Attention, and Creativity

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2024-11-27 13:30:01

The architects of the modern digital landscape are optimizing all devices and services to exploit our desires. The human vulnerability - the need and love for attention and the disdain for boredom - is the result of a world in which our attention is the basis of the new economic model, to be harvested and monetized with ruthless efficiency. Attention is the new society's gold, being both the currency and object of irresistible appeal. Essentially your boredom is for sale as a prized commodity.

We wish to be entertained, to be cured of our boredom; every activity and task must be gamified, tracked, and rewarded so that we can complete our daily activities with maximum stimulation to our brains.

But what is the effect of the constant, never-ending stimulation that is nearly inescapable, as every mechanism, device, and service we utilize attempts to never let us leave its grasp? What is the toll this takes on our minds? What are we sacrificing in order to escape boredom?

As we narrowly focus on optimizing for user attention, we are also optimizing on the theft of the user’s productivity. The goal isn’t to aid the user to accomplish goals, rather it is to keep the user engaged on a platform, device, or service. It is simply to deliver an experience that triggers an addiction to the product that can be monetized.