Rabbit Hole / paused
The Architecture of Attention
How did we collectively agree to let our most precious cognitive resource be harvested by machines optimized for engagement rather than meaning?
September 2, 2025
Core Insight
We don't have an information problem. We have an attention problem. And you cannot solve an attention problem by adding more information.
Key Research
- Herbert Simon's original 1971 essay coining 'attention economy'
- Tristan Harris's work on persuasive design at Google
- Deep Work and Cal Newport's case for focused cognition
- Illich's concept of 'counter-productivity' applied to information tools
Open Questions
- ? Is distraction the defining pathology of our civilization, or just a moral panic?
- ? Can you design an attention-respecting product and still compete commercially?
- ? What would 'attention hygiene' look like as a cultural norm rather than an individual practice?
The thing nobody asks
Everyone talks about managing their attention. Fewer people ask who designed the attention problem in the first place, and what incentive structures make that design rational for them.
This is not a self-help problem. It is a political economy problem.
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