Capitalism and consumerism patterns in recent years are banking on our decreasing attention spans. Overconsumption and microtrends influence us in such microscopic ways that are inevitably harming us and the Earth. While we are aware of some functions in our lives that contribute to it, there are more norms we are unaware of. Regardless, there are solutions that people can adopt now in order to move ourselves into a more positive direction.
- Writing on paper
As helpful as laptops are for taking notes for things, and how nice it is to organize your papers, if there are opportunities to write in journals or on physical paper with a real pencil, it really helps for you to retain information, maintain nice and legible handwriting, and can help your brain slow down from the fast typing.
- Meditating
This process doesn’t have to mean sitting in silence and trying to clear your mind. It can just be going for a walk without music or a podcast playing, using a coloring book, crocheting, stretching, reading, cleaning, cooking, etc. Doing a non-screen related activity where it has your full attention that you could do in silence by yourself, just letting time pass and admiring how nice a slow life can be.
- Stop scrolling
It makes me happy to know that most people are aware of how this section of media has become harmful, that scrolling on social media, being fed short-form content in bulk that makes the time slip away and makes you feel restless, craving more. From TikToks to Instagram Reels to YouTube Shorts, it really is just too much. I deleted TikTok in an attempt to stop this addiction, only to get hooked right back on Instagram Reels. It isn’t always going to be an even slope to fix a mauled attention span, but consistency is key.
- Focus on longevity of purchases before buying
Overconsumption is a bigger problem than most realize, and one that I have already written about in a previous article. This is, in fact, part of microtrends and “limited-editions” and “on-sale” tactics are other influential ways in which our attention spans are being limited. When we aren’t on our phones scrolling, we look around at what we have. What gadgets we fill our homes with, what clothes we wear, what we decorate with. Videos posted online like, “My Top Amazon Favorites List This Month” are beyond harmful. People who glorify mass overconsumption like this, for products you will ditch in a few months max are (potentially unintentionally) damaging the attention spans of their audience.
These days it is so easy to click a link and buy something in minutes without ever having to leave your position. As with every great technological advance in humanity, there are great advantages, and grave misuses. Mankind is predictable in this way as we see history repeating itself time and time again. The point of learning history in school is to prevent it from repeating, as is why it is so important to spread messages like this about these traps we are falling into.
Because of how so many companies and markets and economies benefit from these traps, they have become so normalized in certain cultures. That, coupled with the entertainment of relevant and intriguing content for the consumers and viewers seems to give no reason to question, worry, or stop altogether. We are being fed short lived happy feelings that come from funny video after funny video or ordering a new shirt and being excited for it to come. Practicing habits now (better than never) of pausing to question whether or not you are making impulse decisions that will not last, when you can focus your time elsewhere, is a much more sustainable option.. We can all start somewhere and we can all make it happen.