And we must actively and continuously choose how we use it.

Odell sees our attention as the most preciousand overdrawnresource we have. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.

In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. Porchlight’s Personal Development & Human Behavior Book of the Year NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY: Time* The New Yorker * NPR* GQ* Elle* Vulture* Fortune* Boing Boing* The Irish Times* The New York Public Library * The Brooklyn Public Library One of President Barack Obama’s “Favorite Books of 2019” Visit podcastchoices.“A complex, smart and ambitious book that at first reads like a self-help manual, then blossoms into a wide-ranging political manifesto.”Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times Book Review Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Be the first to hear the next episode of The Gray Area. How to Do Nothing by Jenny Odell (Melville House 2019)Įnjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. 'On Two Ways of Relating to the World' by L.M. 13, 1942: 'Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.' Simone Weil, letter to Joë Bousquet, Apr. 'The idea of perfection' by Iris Murdoch (1964) 'Reflections on the Right Use of School Studies with a View to the Love of God' by Simone Weil (1942) Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan (1964)īlaise Pascal on Diversion, from the Pensées (1670) 'Is Google Making Us Stupid?' by Nicholas Carr (The Atlantic July/August 2008) 'Harrison Bergeron' by Kurt Vonnegut (1961) The Frailest Thing: Ten Years of Thinking About the Meaning of Technology by L.M. Michael Sacasas author of the newsletter The Convivial Society on Substack associate director, Christian Study Center of Gainesville Michael calls upon venerated philosophers (like Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch) as well as contemporary writers (like Nicholas Carr and Jenny Odell) to make the case that figuring out how to command our attention is a matter of great moral significance, and is a crucial component of living a good life. This conversation is all about attention: what it exactly is, what its purpose is, and how it is under threat by the technology of modern society and its ubiquitous distractions. Sean Illing talks with Michael Sacasas, an author and teacher exploring the relationship between technology and society in his newsletter, The Convivial Society.

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