Stolen Focus

Stolen Focus by Johann Hari

In the last 30 years, society has seen an advent of technological advancement, and we are now living in the digital age. We have access to more information that we can ever make use of, and our lives have apparently been made easier with the use of this relatively new technology.

But it has come at a cost. In Stolen Focus, Johann Hari explores the depth of our loss, both personal and societal, that has come via the use of technology. Our focus is stolen by society, by tech, by every little thing distracting us along the way. Hari discusses what he believes are the main causes that have stolen our focus. He talks about the personal failing we all feel regarding our phone usage. Each week we get the report- our minutes and hours, lost, to the screen. Our failing of personal responsibility.

But it’s not our fault.

Stolen Focus explains what exactly is happening to us, why we feel this pull toward our phones and away from our loved ones and hobbies. It goes over the history and development of the technology and the downfall of our attention spans. Our delusion in thinking how we can multitask, but all it does is we do lots of things poorly. Hari explains something called a ‘flow state’ which is when we are doing something so intently, we lose track of time, but technology is stealing our flow states from us at an alarming rate. He explores why we are walking faster reading less and. Hari also explains that even way back since the advent of electricity and the humble lightbulb, we have been short-changing our sleep, and thus overall health ever since.

The rise in technology that can track and manipulate us is the major contributing factor as to why we are addicted to our phones, also known as surveillance capitalism.  Tech companies know how to manipulate us into staying on our phone for as long as possible. For every minute we are looking at their page they are making money, and as soon as we put it down, they are not. There are some remarkable interviews with current and former staff from Silicon Valley. It is shocking to hear what they say, but at least one concession is that it does take away that guilt from being addicted to the screen- that’s their design, to prey on human weakness.

Finally, Hari talks about the greater societal set up for lost focus. Our busy schedules, diets, pollution and medications all play a significant role in our inability to pay attention and are contributing to the health of our children and their attention spans.

Stolen Focus is an eye-opening read and concludes with hope for a movement Hari has coined ‘Attention Rebellion’. It will require deep change from a political level, but Hari hopes that there can be a shift in the way we live. He reminds us, ‘We are the free Citizens of Democracies, and we own our own mind and our own society, and together, we are going to take them back.’

Johann Hari is a journalist and bestselling author whose TedTalk on depression and addiction has over 10 million views. Stolen Focus is now available for loan and on the Libby app at Greater Dandenong Libraries.

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