How the attention economy erodes memory and reflection

by Jonas PettiboneSeptember 20, 20266 links · ~71 min read · ~1 min for the TL;DR

The Long Way Round by Jonas Pettibone: six links on Others every two weeks.

TL;DR

LLM training processes mirror the reward and punishment systems once used to manage the Simplified Chinese Internet.
Wisława Szymborska noted in her Nobel Prize acceptance speech that inspiration is born from a continuous state of not knowing.
Children’s television shows that move too quickly may prevent viewers from reflecting on the content and allowing lessons to sink in.
We are forgetting the years as they pass because we are losing the quiet, boring moments where memory is formed.
Judith Viorst argues that we cannot deeply love anything without becoming vulnerable to loss and the process of becoming separate people.
The 9-minute Longreads article highlights stories from contributors including J.B. MacKinnon, Daniel Kolitz, Daniel Shailer, Justin Neuman, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

From the curator

The modern drive for speed and constant engagement is actively dismantling our capacity for memory and meaningful reflection. The 13-minute Guardian article explains how the attention economy overwhelms children’s television with fast-paced content that prevents lessons from sinking in. Similarly, the 23-minute NOEMA article details how our perception of time is warped because we are losing the quiet, boring moments necessary for forming memories. By prioritizing constant stimulation, we are sacrificing the stillness required to process our experiences and retain our past.

Jonas Pettibone

Curated for this issue

NOEMA17 min readA New Kind Of Creative Poverty
The Simplified Chinese Internet ran on reward and punishment. LLM training feels uncomfortably familiar.

The Marginalian3 min readHow to Break Free from the Tyranny of Certainty: The Japanese Concept of “Ma”
“Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know,'” the Polish poet Wisława Szymborska observed in her magnificent Nobel Prize acceptance speech. But despite al…

Maria Popova · curated 1 time

the Guardian13 min readFaster! Louder! Brighter! How the attention economy overwhelmed children’s TV
Does your child’s favourite show give them a chance to reflect, or does it move too quickly for its lessons to sink in?

NOEMA23 min readYour Perception Of Time Is, In Fact, Warped
We keep marveling at how fast the years go by. The deeper problem is that we’re forgetting them — and losing the quiet, boring moments where memory forms.

The Marginalian5 min readJoan Didion on Letting Go
“We cannot deeply love anything without becoming vulnerable to loss,” Judith Viorst wrote in her defense of life’s necessary losses, “and we cannot become separate people, r…

Maria Popova · curated 1 time

Longreads9 min readThe Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from J.B. MacKinnon, Daniel Kolitz, Daniel Shailer, Justin Neuman, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

Longreads

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From the curator

NOEMA17 min readA New Kind Of Creative PovertyThe Simplified Chinese Internet ran on reward and punishment. LLM training feels uncomfortably familiar.

The Marginalian3 min readHow to Break Free from the Tyranny of Certainty: The Japanese Concept of “Ma”“Whatever inspiration is, it’s born from a continuous ‘I don’t know,'” the Polish poet Wisława Szymborska observed in her magnificent Nobel Prize acceptance speech. But despite al…

the Guardian13 min readFaster! Louder! Brighter! How the attention economy overwhelmed children’s TVDoes your child’s favourite show give them a chance to reflect, or does it move too quickly for its lessons to sink in?

NOEMA23 min readYour Perception Of Time Is, In Fact, WarpedWe keep marveling at how fast the years go by. The deeper problem is that we’re forgetting them — and losing the quiet, boring moments where memory forms.

The Marginalian5 min readJoan Didion on Letting Go“We cannot deeply love anything without becoming vulnerable to loss,” Judith Viorst wrote in her defense of life’s necessary losses, “and we cannot become separate people, r…

Longreads9 min readThe Top 5 Longreads of the WeekShowcasing stories from J.B. MacKinnon, Daniel Kolitz, Daniel Shailer, Justin Neuman, and Hanif Abdurraqib.

NOEMA17 min readA New Kind Of Creative Poverty
The Simplified Chinese Internet ran on reward and punishment. LLM training feels uncomfortably familiar.

the Guardian13 min readFaster! Louder! Brighter! How the attention economy overwhelmed children’s TV
Does your child’s favourite show give them a chance to reflect, or does it move too quickly for its lessons to sink in?

NOEMA23 min readYour Perception Of Time Is, In Fact, Warped
We keep marveling at how fast the years go by. The deeper problem is that we’re forgetting them — and losing the quiet, boring moments where memory forms.

The Marginalian5 min readJoan Didion on Letting Go
“We cannot deeply love anything without becoming vulnerable to loss,” Judith Viorst wrote in her defense of life’s necessary losses, “and we cannot become separate people, r…

Longreads9 min readThe Top 5 Longreads of the Week
Showcasing stories from J.B. MacKinnon, Daniel Kolitz, Daniel Shailer, Justin Neuman, and Hanif Abdurraqib.