The Importance of Mastering our Attention : Week 1
In our first week of class, the focus of the content revolved heavily around the idea of attention. It focused on every aspect of attention: what we pay too much attention to, what we don't pay enough attention to, how our attention diverts without us even noticing, and how we can use our attention to better ourselves as humans in this "always on" world, where we are constantly consuming information, thanks to the digital universe at our fingertips.
In Rheingold's book, "Net Smart: How to Thrive Online", he dedicates the first two chapters to describing the power that lies in what we pay attention to, and how easily it has been manipulated to pay attention to things that aren't necessarily beneficial or effective for us as humans. According to Rheingold, one of biggest ways we can take control of our attention is to focus on our intention. Without intention in our surfing of the web, we are vulnerable to be caught in any and every attention-seeking ploy that the internet throws in front of us. While this isn't always a bad thing, because surfing the web with no particular plan can be exciting, curious and wonderful, it can become a problem when we are ignoring the tasks we've set out to do. Often times, these distractions take our attention away from whatever we planned to do when we opened our laptop, and leave us cramming in information, that we haven't really checked for credibility or for quality of information, in order to meet a deadline.
The idea of having intention with what we do when we are online, leads directly into the overarching theme of being mindful. In his book, Rheingold quotes Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor whose work is focused around meditation and mindfulness, by saying that mindfulness is "the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose". This idea is so simple, but it is one that is so easily forgotten in our every day lives. With so much information and content available to us at all times, we have the opportunity to mindlessly scroll through thousands of bits of information without ever really learning anything. Imagine if you spent some of that time focused in on one topic that you're really passionate about. After thirty minutes you could have compiled more information than ever could have without that set intention of learning.
After mastering the skill of attention, you must then use it. This means also paying attention to the information you're consuming, and being able to decipher whether that information is credible or not. Rheingold gives a lot of tips in his book about how to be a better searcher of information, including using better search terms, being able to use web searches effectively with the addition of quotation marks and advanced search tools, and especially by checking the author of your sources. All of these things are important, and all of them can be paired with a strategy called "lateral reading". In Driscoll et al's book, "Writing Spaces", they provide instructions on how to laterally read, which is basically using the internet to verify the information you read somewhere else. There are multiple ways you can utilize lateral reading, including checking author's credentials and verifying information across multiple sources. This strategy is important and not very hard to put into practice. The pay off is worth it, in my opinion, to know that the information I've just consumed is trustworthy and credible.
While we're on the topic of credibility, we should address the elephant in the room: Wikipedia. This is a source of information that has been used, and questioned, since it's creation. Many doubt it's credibility, and while it is true that technically anyone can contribute to the information you find on Wikipedia, it is also true that most of the information on any given topic has been double checked by people who are credible and are willing to find the correct information. Randall McClure has an essay titled "Googlepedia", where he discusses how Wikipedia should not be neglected, but rather it should be used as a jumping off point for beginning the process of learning about a new topic. Wikipedia contains not only information, but also hyperlinks that will lead you to more information, which will lead to more information. Just be sure to laterally read, and check the credibility of the primary and secondary sources you find!
I find this topic, attention, to be so interesting. I think it is such an important skill for us to hone, whether that's in the digital world or otherwise. In Rheingold's book, he touches lightly on meditation, and the wonders it has done for him, without having to make it into a thirty minute daily ritual. Something as simple and short as five minutes, where you close your eyes and focus on your breathing, can work wonders for your mind. I found this part particularly interesting, because of my passion in fitness. No matter what kind of exercise you partake in, breathing is at the center of it all. Reading that section of the book reaffirmed for me what I already knew to be true, which is that mindfulness and breath are at the center of the human being. Mastering our attention is intertwined with mastering our mind. Once we can do that, there is no end to what our minds can accomplish. No matter what your goals are, whether it's studying for school, working on a project you're passionate about, or just pure curiosity, being able to focus your mind consciously is a skill that will always be useful in every aspect of your life.
I know that I will personally be using the strategy of focusing on my breath before I focus in on a project or a study session. Getting into the groove of studying or researching has always been difficult for me, but after trying to take a couple breaths before I settle down has really helped me focus on the information I'm trying to retain. This not only makes me a better learner and student, but it also makes me a better information consumer. It ensures that I am paying attention to the credibility of the sources I'm looking at, and that I am deeply understanding the information. This is something that I know will come in handy in my studies, but also in my career.
After reading a few chapters of Rheingold's book, I found myself wanting to discover more of his learning tools and discover some of the information he had personally curated. This curiosity wound me up on his personal website, which I will link below. I encourage you to go check it for yourself and see if anything sparks your interest!
Take a moment and think about the way you consume information online. Do these habits help you learn effectively? Do they benefit you?
Resources:
Driscoll, D., Vetter, M., Stewart, M., & Heise, M. (Eds.). (2022). Writing spaces: Readings on writing. Parlor Press.
Lowe, C., & Zemliansky, P. (2010). Writing spaces 2: Readings on writing, volume 2. Parlor Press.
Rheingold, H. (2014). Net smart: How to thrive online. MIT Press.
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