Attention Must Be Paid: Heed Tristan Harris on the Attention Economy

Screenshot from
  2014 TED Talk by Tristan Harris

Take out your phone.

Go to "Settings" > "Battery" > Wait for it....Scroll down: 

How much time were you...

Screen On?

Screen Off?

In the last 24 hours? 

See the PERCENTAGE of what APP you use most.

Click "SHOW ACTIVITY"

Note the hours and minutes of by APP.

How much time SCREEN TIME in the Last 10 Days?

Note the...

Average Screen On

Average Screen Off

For your top three APPS - note the total time in the last 10 days.

Note that it DOES not give you the TOTAL TIME in the LAST 10 DAYS.

Do this math. (10 x Average Screen On) + (10 x Average Screen Off) = 

Now multiply that (total time number x 36.5) x 4 years of high school (1460 days, 35,040 hours) = 

Now divide those hours by 24 to see how many days in highs school you will spend on your phone. 

What if you diverted half that time to writing a novel or a screenplay or an App or talking with friends and family?

(Keep in mind these hours - do not include other screens - watching movies, games, YouTube, shows, etc. on other devices.)

TED Talks that'll inspire you to unplug: "At the beck and call of your technology's beeps and buzzes? Let these talks inspire you to step back from your screen and engage with the immediate world around you."

Tristan Harris - Design Thinker - is a must watch.

Understand how you're giving your attention away for free - but at a terrible cost to your future and more importantly your present happiness and relationships.

Visit his movement for Time Well Spent at HumaneTech.com

The Attention Economy requires your eyeballs. 

Technology is not neutral. Sensationalize - viral videos.