Attention is all you have

The Tetris effect is a psychological phenomenon that can be replicated by playing the game Tetris daily for several weeks. As time passes, individuals may begin to recognize familiar shapes from the game in various everyday objects, even when falling asleep. This experiment highlights a key lesson: whatever we focus on consistently will shape our thoughts.

This can be beneficial, as it aids in acquiring new skills and discovering fresh ideas. However, nowadays, our attention is increasingly directed unintentionally. Rather than selecting what we wish to see, we let others determine what they believe to be beneficial for us. For instance, if you desire to watch a video, platforms like YouTube know your preferences for cooking and art streams, but why not also suggest content related to the stock market bubble, climate change, and the conflict in Iran?

Engaging with negative news can entice you to stay longer and view additional advertisements. Similarly, when you open a Spotify playlist, the algorithm will determine your musical tastes, often inserting AI-generated tracks to reduce royalty payments to genuine artists. Do not overlook the impact of AI on your daily life; it can significantly influence your choices.

Moreover, it appears as though it is merely a coincidence that these strangers are promoting whatever Microsoft has invested in. Do you seek the opinions of strangers about a product? Chances are, the Reddit users you wished to consult may now consist primarily of AI-generated responses from Russian trolls. I sincerely hope you have not placed too much value on their opinions.

If, like myself and many others, you dedicate the majority of your day to your device, it is evident that this has a considerable impact. When we allow someone else to dictate what appears on our screens, it is equivalent to handing them the key to our minds. The internet was not always characterized by this. Prior to the advent of recommendation algorithms, one had to consciously choose what to do on a computer.

You didn't have a single dominant app to open and have it entertain you. Instead, you possessed numerous bookmarks to specific websites, each dedicated to a particular topic. There was a website for video game news, a comprehensive tutorial site, an anime blog with infrequent updates, and a wiki about a TV show from the 1990s. Regrettably, the internet was not always devoid of undesirable content.

We encountered Encyclopedia Dramatica and Rotten.com, but one would need to make an effort to visit them willingly. No one would suggest images of distressed children and far-right propaganda after a pancake recipe or a cat video. The positive aspect is that this deliberate internet still exists, albeit it has been overshadowed by the corporate-driven web.

However, it is not challenging to locate. You are currently on this blog, which indicates that you may already be familiar with it. The primary distinction between the past and the present is you. When you wish to return to reading blogs, RSS feeds, and completing tutorials instead of mindlessly scrolling through short videos, you must adapt to a slower internet.

One where content is not endless and does not update with every click. Like any habit, persistence is key. If you dedicate enough attention to this practice, something will click in your brain.