“Your attention didn’t collapse. It was stolen”, writes Johan Hari in his book – Stolen Focus. He theorizes that we are currently suffering from an attention crisis with crucial ramifications to our physical and mental health.

I was recently at a relative’s graduation and I noted that the entire ceremony was witnessed through the screen of a mobile phone. On further deliberation, I cannot recall any celebration, be it a concert or a birthday, that has not been witnessed through a recording. Being present/ being still, appears to be the quintessential crisis of living in the age of social media. Of living in a time where every living hour is spent alternating between apps and processing information. The consequences have been documented in a study called the ‘Switch Cost Effect’. The switch cost effect, also known as the cognitive switching penalty or context switching cost, describes the negative effects of shifting attention between different tasks or projects. The study suggests that a person who constantly switches between emails, social media, and work tasks will experience a lower level of focus and productivity compared to someone who focuses on one task at a time. In a separate study, Doctor Larry Rosen states that processing a mere eight messages an hour can reduce our brain power by 30%.

This morning, I decided to try to be present with my early morning ritual of drinking coffee. I had to actively train my mind to focus on my coffee. What this illustrates is that we are in a crisis of cognitive degradation where distraction is our default setting and reflection needs active training. Cultures of capitalism and consumption keep working hard to monopolize our attention and this culture is accelerating at an alarming rate. Consider how Facebook was deemed to be a distraction over fifteen years ago and the progression to the much more addictive present day TikTok. What would a metaverse invention in the next two decades do to our brains?

Arundhati Roy, in a discussion on the media and information overload, stated that “the human brain struggles to process the sheer volume of information, especially with the rise of atomized and corporatized social media, leading to echo chambers and difficulty in navigating complex issues. We aren’t built to absorb this much information”.

We live in a world where it is possible to flood social media with cultural or social propaganda and turn the tide of public opinion, banking on the inescapable reality that the sheer volume and speed of information in the digital age creates a situation where individuals are unable to exercise critical, independent thought to an issue. Brands and news channels giving recognition to a generation grown rancid with over-exposure, attempt to penetrate through battered attention spans with marketing baits like ‘exclusivity’, ‘customized’ and ‘artisanal’. However, when every post is trending and every product is exclusive, the search for credibility is an uphill task.

In the age of hand-held news bulletins, we are spectators to events taking place world over. Over stimulated by news, are people being dulled into a state of nihilism? From where in such a misguided worldview, can empathy or compassion possibly emanate?

While it may seem impossible to avoid the flood of data, by developing healthier media consumption habits, practicing critical thinking, and creating intentional breaks from digital platforms, we can reclaim control over our attention. There is also overwhelming evidence of the importance of exercise to improve focus. It is crucial that we remain in training to nurture focus and empathy. That we are able to set aside time to think and reflect and ascribe meaning, beyond the boundaries of reactivity. That we don’t allow ourselves to lapse into a generation of echo chambers.