Continuous Partial Attention (Parts I and II):’ The Nature of Technology and Our Growing Struggle w
::: PART I: ‘The Nature of Technology’ :::
Bansky’s potential Twitter (1) response to the announcement of the Apple Watch and iPhone 6+ in September 2014,
paired with his confirmed piece at the Bristol Youth Club, “Mobile Lovers.”
continuous partial attention : “The modern predicament of being constantly attuned to everything without fully concentrating on anything.” (2)
(Linda Stone, longtime tech executive at Apple and Microsoft Research in the 1980’s and 1990’s.
Stone first coined the phrase in an effort to describe the challenges of living in an always-on, hyper connected world).
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Have you ever woken up in the dark of night from a dead sleep, the nagging sensation that ‘I must check to see if everything is ok’ clouding your mind and quickening your pulse, your heart racing out of nowhere as you fumble around for your phone? As your fingers struggle to remember your password, your eyes adjusting to the harsh blue screen glaring in the dark, what had seconds ago been a restful sleep suddenly turns into yet another restless night spent wandering the online abyss (And no, I am not referring to the dark corners of the web. I’m talking about my Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds, plus the endless list of fascinating articles that scream to be read right now).
Am I the only human being on the planet who is increasingly frustrated with this addictive pattern in their life? It’s ok to sheepishly nod, joining me in agreement – I’m the pot and the kettle calling myself black, in this situation.
While it’s relevant, yet not ultimately important, to consider the larger season of sleeplessness befalling my family as we raise a 14-month little girl who is still teething, needing the comfort of Mom and Dad’s presence nightly, another nagging sensation, this one less easily shaken off, fills my mind with a vague unsettledness.
Ironically, I turn to my phone and start to read online about my struggle, finding a diverse chorus of voices swelling louder, a digital consensus of sorts emerging with a unified voice: Something is off with our increasing reliance upon, need for, and largely unchecked addiction with the technology in our hands. Something is off inside of us, more disturbingly so.
If this consensus is true, what is the underlying reality driving the nature of technology to be ever more present within our lives? Why do we continue to allow this digital struggle for our time to grow? What must be done?
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1: As with all things Banksy, the Twitter handle @therealbansky seems to be the work of an avid fan, and yet no one is actually certain – it could be the work of the graffiti artist himself. But the iPhone roots image seems to be Banksy’s commentary on the modern addiction to the smartphone, and mirrors his confirmed piece “Mobile Lovers” on the wall of the Bristol Youth Club.
2: Fallows, James.“The Art of Staying Focused in a Distracting World.” The Atlantic. June 2013 magazine issue. Accessed 26 May 2015 at: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/06/the-art-of-paying-attention/309312/.