The Attention Tax

Consider the following scenario: you're having lunch on a patio with friends or family. Music is playing in the background. In between every two or three songs is an ad that plays.

Or you're at the gas station, filling up your tank:

Or even: someone in front of you is literally choking to death and you need a quick refresh on the Heimlich Maneuver.

I suppose one could make the argument that some of these services need money and ads support the platform while you consume content for "free." And you could pay for a subscription to remove them, right? That line of reasoning doesn't impress me because it's obviously false. More paid subscription tiers are coming out that include ads now. But I don't want to talk about hostile subscription models.

No, I want to talk about what steals our attention multiple times a day. I, like many others, own a smart watch. I bought it for tracking workouts. I didn't buy it to forward every notification from my phone to my wrist, but that's the default, out-of-the-box behavior. There's a side effect to this, a crime. And you might be both guilty and the victim. Let's say you're in the middle of a conversation, get dinged, and your attention is stolen. The other person notices this, but maybe says it's no big deal. What was so important that it required your absolute immediate attention?

It's all Opt-Out

The worst part is that it's all opt-out. You have to go through and disable all notifications, one-by-one, for each app. And you'll realize later, that you've still missed some. You could be in the middle of a movie, a walk, working on a complex problem and DING! Context obliterated.

The worst offenders are not the apps that don't provide controls over notifications. You can usually disable them at the system-level. No, the worst are the ones you do need. Things like Lyft, Uber, Doordash or any other service that you use infrequently and notifications could be helpful.

Venmo and Paypal are other good examples. You obviously want to know when you receive money. However, they take advantage of your open door to ask you to sign up for their credit card.

"You're pre-approved for ..."

Going back to Analog

I've found more joy lately in vinyl records, physical books (or my Kobo), and cancelling streaming services. As a child, I really wanted a television that could fit in my pocket. One kid in my 6th grade told me that he had one and I could buy it for $5. I paid him and he continually dodged me for the rest of the year. Whether he needed money or a friend, I don't know. Either way, I don't want it anymore.

I'm making a concerted effort these days to take my attention back. If I find myself doom-scrolling on TikTok, Facebook, whatever - it's a signal to put my phone down and pick my book up.

Oh and that kid in my 6th grade class? I see his posts on Facebook when I log in occasionally. He's now practicing family law and has an adopted daughter. I'm proud of him.