This week, I finally found the time to open How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy by Jenny Odell. I was initially interested in reading this book because I am a self-proclaimed workaholic; I love being busy and maximizing my time. I did not end up getting a summer job this year, and I could tell the lack of structure to my days was making me very restless and anxious. Reading the synopsis of this book inspired me to potentially change my viewpoint on what defines “productivity” in my life and how I can incorporate more time for myself into my schedule. Starting the book, the author introduced the idea of how people “build and maintain personal brands” in this new age of digitization and technology. I related to this idea because I have a food Instagram account where I post pictures every day. At first, it started as a fun way to rid my phone of all my food pictures, but slowly became more of an investment into my personality that was mediated by what was trending on social media. In this way, I disagree with the idea that “off time” is when life happens. New opportunities have opened up for me through my use of technology and “commercial social media,” making my life feel more exciting and meaningful.
Regardless, I continued to read and felt like the author’s exploration of the idea of usefulness versus uselessness was really meaningful. Just as our “attention ecosystem” is being pruned by capitalistic forces, humans are also plowing through parts of the natural world deemed “not profitable.” The author discusses a redwood named Old Faithful in her description of the idea that profitability is not inherently equal to importance and usefulness. I believe that we should also evaluate our influence on the environment in this manner. The aspects that we are deeming important are centered around monetary gain instead of societal benefit. Practices like deforestation and oil drilling should not only take into account what is produced, but also what we are losing in terms of the greater ecosystem as a result. I loved the idea that our niche can sometimes just be existing in our environment and doing nothing.
I also loved the idea of “bioregional awareness” that was introduced because it described humans as an open system interacting within a greater ecosystem. This relates to the environment and ecology because it emphasizes the interconnectedness of biotic and abiotic factors that constitute our world. I remember when humans were left off of food webs during my study of ecology in high school. Being a proud member of my bioregion directly contradicts this idea.
Enjoying the spring weather, I decided to do my reading in the hammocks outside my apartment and as I read about “deep listening,” I started picking up the discrete noises of insects, the wind, and other students milling around. Before, I was so in-tune with my thoughts that I stopped paying attention to the world around me and it was really eye-opening to go through mindfulness practices to reorient myself in the world. Since I had a memorable time practicing deep listening in the city, I was interested in learning if I would have reaped more benefits to deep listening if I were surrounded by different types of noises. I found a very interesting article looking at deep listening in the city versus nature and how that could change the experience. The article found that people exposed to forest noises (created by technology) were measured to have a “decreased heart rate; improved feelings described as ‘comfortable,’ ‘relaxed,’ and ‘natural’; and improved mood states.”
I agree with using technology as a tool to make it possible for people who don’t have access to nature to reap the same benefits of deep listening in nature. The author breaches the subject by stating that she luckily has the luxury to choose nothing, while others will obviously not have a lifestyle that allows for it. Check out How To Do Nothing: Resisting The Attention Economy if you are looking for a relaxing but thought-provoking read as we head into the rest of the year!