Another tool is to start the practice of deep listening. As mentioned previously, we need time spent in silence, tranquility, and reflection. There are a few tools that will assist us in resisting the attention economy. Nevertheless, it is necessary if we wish to become more present in the world we live in and if we want to know ourselves better.
In a capitalist world where everything needs to be optimized and every performance needs to be improved, “doing nothing” becomes very expensive. When we pay close attention to different life-forms, we start to recognize patterns and make distinctions and parallels between them. Solitude and quiet help us direct our attention to the world surrounding us. These silent gaps provide the framework for establishing and producing meaningful thought and speech. “ ‘Nothing’ is neither a luxury nor a waste of time, but rather a necessary part of meaningful thought and speech.”įor people to find the right words to express a valuable opinion, they need periods of solitude and silence. The hours you spend checking your social media can be dedicated to something else more rewarding. That includes becoming more aware of the various life-forms around us and how they are connected and intertwined.īy resisting the attention economy, you will start perceiving the world in a new light. Therefore, “doing nothing” means opposing and resisting the attention economy, but it also means directing our meaningful attention towards something else. Our attention and our state of anxiety, fear, and mindless distraction are highly profitable.
Social platforms do not consider us to be humans. This proposal does not negate the role of technological advancement, but it does criticize the way social platforms draw, buy, and sell our attention. What is being proposed is to deepen our attention to the world around us and renew our connections to the natural world, to people, and to the community.
As a matter of fact, the main point is to challenge the idea of productivity and what it actually means. It is important to note that “doing nothing” is not associated with merely taking a vacation or some time off before returning to the work post and becoming more productive by optimizing the work process. However, this is actually an action plan. The “nothing” which is proposed here can be construed as “truly nothing” by a capitalist society that condemns and punishes lack of productivity. These individuals are often perceived as unproductive and less significant because they are not pressured into optimizing every aspect of life.ĭoing nothing, which is by no means a call for inertness and indifference, in the strongest sense, is an act of political resistance to the attention economy.
This world leaves very little space for authors, thinkers, artists, and dreamers. In our predominantly materialistic world, people are becoming increasingly obsessed with productivity and financial gains.
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