Page 7 - Attention Hijacked: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Brain from Tech

Chapter 1 is about the reasons we love technology. It can
facilitate connection and allow us to collaborate creatively across
space, time, and culture. We can connect with affinity groups
(people who connect because of a shared interest), activists, and larger
social movements led and participated in by our peers. We can find
entertainment, news, and up-to-date information quickly and easily.
We need our technology to continue to learn, connect, and be a part of
the world. This was especially true during the COVID-19 pandemic
that engulfed us in 2020. Our screens are extremely valuable, and I
am incredibly grateful for the opportunities they provide.
And—this is an And with a capital A—we also need to acknowledge
some very real concerns about technology use. In chapter 2, I explore
how tech companies intentionally design their products to keep you
hooked as long as possible and mine your data to earn as much money
as possible. As one of my students put it, even if you don’t care that
companies are manipulating you, it is important to know about it so
you can make the choice to opt in. Then, in chapter 3, we’ll explore
some common myths and questions around how technology use can
impact our mental and physical health. Spoiler alert: it’s far more
complicated than any headline would have us believe.
Even more importantly, you must pay attention to yourself to
collect real-time data on how you are being impacted by technology.
How do you do that? Chapter 4 introduces one way: mindfulness.
Mindfulness is as simple as paying attention to this moment, to what’s
happening on the inside and outside. We often think we are already
paying attention. Don’t I already know what I’m up to? I am me, living
my life, after all. But when we start to practice mindfulness, we notice
how often we are not paying attention. Our minds are constantly
wandering. One minute you are walking to school, and the next you
are back in last night’s argument with your mom, and then you rocket
forward to tonight when you will confidently and gleefully explain to
your mom why she’s wrong. The ability of our minds to time travel,
to go back and forward in time, remembering and planning, is an

Introduction 9