Distraction!

These are just a few thoughts I had in response to the video below.

The speaker notes the advantages of reading, as it typically requires more focus.

While I agree with his point, I must digress with a complaint about the modern non-fiction book market: Unfortunately the majority (maybe around 80%?) of newly published non-fiction books (with perhaps some exceptions in fields like history) contain only enough substantial content to fill one or two articles, with the rest being pure filler. While padding books with fluff isn’t new, the rise of mass media and the internet has likely intensified this trend. These days, many authors approach non-fiction books primarily as marketing tools – essentially elaborate business cards to generate speaking engagements and consulting opportunities. While this makes perfect sense from a business and self-promotion standpoint, it results in books that actively work against sustained focus, wasting readers’ time instead of rewarding their attention.

The video also mentions the use of highly-distractable social media apps. Perhaps one potential antidote to our current attention crisis might be found in reimagining social media. I’ve been thinking about a social network specifically designed to eliminate instant gratification. Users would be limited to one post per day and would have to wait 24 hours before being allowed to post again. Comments would only become visible to the author after a 24-hour delay. The platform would deliberately exclude features like likes or popularity metrics, and there would be no real-time conversations. The core purpose would be to help users break free from the dopamine-driven cycle of constant stimulation that characterizes current social platforms. While such a network would probably struggle to find a wide audience, it’s an interesting concept that I’m considering developing with AI assistance.

Speaking of AI, I wonder if AIs like ChatGPT and Claude can help with focus? Searching around YouTube or Wikipedia to answers to computer science questions often risks getting distracted with bits of related but irrelevant information. Sometimes this may be a good thing, as you might discover something useful. But most of the time it’s just a distraction. Asking Claude questions, you get direct feedback without a bunch of related content competing for your attention.