Algorithms drive our attention
In a world where we are spoon-fed every next thing, reclaiming our attention may be the new most counter-cultural action. Spontaneous discovery — the act of aimlessly browsing a book store or stepping into that little corner museum no one knows about — can be an act of reclaiming our attention and presence from a world telling us what to consume.
“In the age of the algorithm and increasingly AI-driven discovery the act of being intentional about where we place our attention has almost become an act of rebellion. Claude Shannon (the Father of the information age) theorised that more information doesn’t necessarily mean more knowledge. . . . Wisdom isn’t about maximising information intake but optimising our signal-to-noise ratio. And sometimes the most intellectually curious thing we can do is to close the browser and sit with a single difficult idea until it reveals its meaning.”
(Courtesy Tekniska Museet of Sweden, Item 43069 via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.)
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