--- title: "Paying for it" subtitle: "What's attention and how it is distracted, nowadays" author: "Lorenzo Ancona" date: 2025-06-25 language: en words: 1036 canonical: https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/paying-for-it license: CC BY 4.0 cite_as: "Paying for it by Lorenzo Ancona, Artifacts, 2025-06-25. https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/paying-for-it (CC BY 4.0)" --- # Paying for it I've been thinking of this piece for quite a while. [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKy1!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_lossy/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcfeb3b90-af7f-4eb0-8a3f-51fe7e0708df_800x1422.gif)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NKy1!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fcfeb3b90-af7f-4eb0-8a3f-51fe7e0708df_800x1422.gif) And on a flight, with a great LLM local model to brainstorm with, I finally put it together **We’re all struggling with attention:** we turn off notifications, put phone away, try pomodoro technique. **Cause we don't want to be distracted.** At the same time, we turn off notifications, put our phones away, and seek out isolation to temporarily escape our daily worries and concerns. **To stop being attentive to everything**, to get distracted, eventually. **And yet, we’re told we live in a non-attentive era.** An age of dwindling focus, of jump cuts and doomscrolls. [Some data claims so.](https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/cant-concentrate-heres-how-focus-digital-age#:~:text=People%20have%20gradually%20spent%20more%20and%20more,focus%20because%20it%20provides%20infinite%20external%20distractions.&text=So%20even%20if%20we%20turn%20off%20audio,check%20social%20media%20is%20difficult%20to%20ignore.) I agree. **But also, I don’t.** **What if we’re actually the most attentive era in history?** What if our problem isn’t that we lack attention, but that we’re incapable of doing nothing at all? We don’t sit still anymore. We don’t zone out. **We fill every idle moment.** Not necessarily with meaningful things, but certainly with something. And isn’t that a kind of attention? Here’s the kicker: **attention and distraction aren’t opposites.** **Think of attention as a state** - a focused, intentional effort to direct your mind. It’s a posture, a discipline. **Distraction, by contrast, is a motion.** It’s what happens when attention moves elsewhere, often against our will, hijacked by push alerts, autoplay, or curiosity about whether your football team is, in fact, winning. **Take doomscrolling. It feels like distraction, but it’s actually a kind of feral attentiveness.** You’re absorbed. Focused, even. Just not on anything that nourishes you. We’ve confused being directed with being distracted. So maybe we're diverting our attention away from work, **but we're succeeding on focusing on something else.** And this is probably something brought to us by the internet and phones. They make us, potentially, always available. And, therefore, **potentially attentive to something else than the current status quo.** It's getting harder to lie down on a park and focus just on a book. **One may wonder what were we doing before phones?** [Probably nothing.](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/07/before-smartphones-boredom/674631/) **Now, every place - even what used to be a non-place - can be a place for some attention**, often limited, in bits, but still attention to some input Queue to board a flight? You scroll. Waiting for the metro? Let's check email. Your partner went to the bathroom at a restaurant? Let me check if my football team is winning the game. **(Maybe we just can't wait for someone / something?)** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **So yes, we’ve developed a new kind of attention** - one attuned to a specific kind of information: - **We attend to bits.** Tiny fragments. Reels, tweets, thumbnails. Things with no context, no follow-up. Easy in, easy out. - **We attend to ephemera.** If you blink, it’s gone. That TikTok won’t show up again, even if you want it to. - **And we attend to what the algorithm serves**, not what we sought out. It’s attention without agency. **Technically, we’re getting what we want.** Statistically, at least. But [as Harry Frankfurt](https://mbird.com/week-in-review/feb-22-28/) put it: **getting what we want, not what we want to want** - perhaps the unofficial motto of digital life. So yes, we’re attentive. Constantly. And distracted. Constantly. Because the medium of our attention - the phone - is engineered to reward impulsive urges, not reflective desires. **We say we want to read. But we scroll.** **Some have said we’ve closed the [Gutenberg parenthesis](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug/02/the-gutenberg-parenthesis-the-age-of-print-and-its-lessons-for-the-age-of-the-internet-by-jeff-jarvis-review)** - that stretch of history dominated by print - and stepped back into an oral era. Others, with less subtlety, call it the Zuckerberg era. The first was a time of books, or at least of things that stayed still long enough to be read - even if printed on a screen. The second, the one we’re in now, is softer around the edges. **It’s oral not in the sense of conversation, but in the way content is absorbed:** listened to, watched, passively consumed. It demands less from us. Less effort. Less attention. Just eyes and ears. [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v9GL!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F863c7200-309a-42d6-b7c9-9b971944884e_1024x1024.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!v9GL!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F863c7200-309a-42d6-b7c9-9b971944884e_1024x1024.png) you know the ‘do not disturb’? **And yet, one artifact resists: the book.** **Books don’t come to you.** They don’t notify, nudge, or suggest. They just sit there. Silent. Flat. Dead weight, literally and metaphorically, until you crack them open. **Books ask something rare: undivided attention.** Not to skim, not to swipe, but to read - line by line, and between them too. **No curation, no autoplay, no “you might also like.”** Just your choice, and your risk: to engage or not. **If you think of them as an interface, it's one that is not replying back.** It's there, dead. No input if we don't choose to do so or get one. In that sense, **books are less like social media and more like a chatbot.** And so they sit. Closed, mute, overlooked (sometimes). **Still requiring attention in an era of distracted attention.** [Leave a comment](https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/paying-for-it/comments) > ### **Save for Later** What’s OpenAI strategy? [A document that was leaked!](https://substack-post-media.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/post-files/165959620/77710a9b-6942-4416-af92-60e7e53ab56c.pdf?X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Content-Sha256=UNSIGNED-PAYLOAD&X-Amz-Credential=ASIAUM3FPD6BZ2RE4MCQ%2F20250615%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Date=20250615T062733Z&X-Amz-Expires=3600&X-Amz-Security-Token=IQoJb3JpZ2luX2VjEFQaCXVzLWVhc3QtMSJHMEUCIQCGUcwAUrHmbjadZUNmlLSx2oONSClpYicX1qM4HWqf%2BAIgLsNmFxvIaSkUhTA3O%2FXozAD8fFV%2BJpeyRtSk0SJN9tkq%2BQMIPRAEGgwzMDI0NzExMjY5MTUiDPzT8J8uIhKFSHL%2BgirWA%2BoMd%2BejWU5pK90d5jc6chNRJGDS34nP0GmvInn5kIwvWHNqfCyBvXhjn9z88%2F1P0SsOcuwP35RKwd9vkmroVSwBT%2FFJXSxy%2FRpYbDlv6Pt6L93o%2BIyI3t9f%2BcWJTIRdn9LFtFB1hiHWiAiFI2oEyx6NzeN601HvRPpOHqhsfilDr0s5XaVDBRge9XLJlsque7GgXzaeKLJW7F4af8RWNSxcmpHKkENzAkmXGumJYMKUq7qpmzZP9%2BuXTsdkI3LFNbNyqnlXuhBJstJA6UfEIUswuOBhioH2AwQtoreKreMRggMUcjjU9YfMkK%2FbFC6twTJnQ7t9VqbLx8EWR6xY67nWOyjtlrNFQCr%2FUjuNM5KnkwjqI0VEdIEMs%2FvZ0xaLwq5KXfKhH2DBuX4A0dRl8Rfp3QU27ZfTflkO6mURAdIz6bjNRKqk32l9aVEitOz5%2FEdC3BKoY6o%2F8PDtuSRhfgtNYdZ8NjxuWkjp6ICS4EVb0MS7RICnmDXJke5lA2Kj5lKH6QWQX3wPbCAI3vMSjC%2FbCahBTxNwMcWg7Kx0hVbaLqxZiPEehRXoExROoNmdMAOH2ituBfWnm1UtpOjkXM8wV%2BI5NzWyo%2FstiKycQOX1SJxJtVVJMOSEucIGOqUB2DTX7FwfUH47WuZ2sk2%2FaiLuAA7mWyF%2F91%2B2pQte4i8Fw6tr0ryNvhDGpb1YZ5AETDYn3mnKXmiQmcRedWodeZcEiodw3juNgRRJhrV%2FXxJqwf2tdyr1nW6il6yI2%2BMDNaVknZjcbSJM%2FSuv4PYgC4WOQkNcx7CDWnpL9UfJa3cdQUAvSXyWws0HLNb3aI8vgke1bWDeJTYxwETGTBXzozVxZbQA&X-Amz-Signature=5b25feb78189a523b8770b86dd7ba66865cad8f3c90331aa9c6307af91fb2c30&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&response-content-disposition=attachment%3B%20filename%3D%22Chatgpt_H1_2025_Strategy.pdf%22&x-id=GetObject) And maybe it brings us to [a linkless Internet?](https://aeon.co/essays/when-ai-summaries-replace-hyperlinks-thought-itself-is-flattened) Steve Jobs, [remastered](https://stevejobsarchive.com/exhibits/stay-hungry-stay-foolish). And if you wanna [persuade your parents to get you a Macbook…](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1fnB7HrN6fRFM9hNtnhbXdVepRxuJxZ84_aTTu4VECwg/template/preview?pli=1) I’m using a new browser, [it’s insane.](https://www.theverge.com/web/685232/dia-browser-ai-arc) And [what’s behind it](https://browsercompany.substack.com/p/the-strategy-behind-dias-design) D[esigners stopped designing.](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/prompt-code-why-i-stopped-prototyping-figma-what-means-majorel-mvu2f/) But they can play [fun games](https://www.theatlantic.com/games/) on the Atlantic now. Have you been targeted by adv on X? [Check it out.](https://haveibeentargeted.online/) And the Fediverse is welcoming [Threads](https://www.theverge.com/news/688267/threads-fediverse-feed-search)! What’s software 3.0? A must watch: [\[Embedded media — view original\]](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/LCEmiRjPEtQ?rel=0&autoplay=0&showinfo=0&enablejsapi=0) > ### **The Bookshelf** [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65xa!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7aeee2d4-3a1c-4856-bf2a-b60fe85365bc_1080x1080.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!65xa!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7aeee2d4-3a1c-4856-bf2a-b60fe85365bc_1080x1080.png) Mentioned it above. The **Gutenberg Parenthesis** offers a fresh perspective of what printing did to out information and how it is being rethought with the Internet. Must read, imho. 📚 **All the books** I’ve read and recommended in Artifacts are [here.](https://airtable.com/appK7fMPX1DMkQYzL/shrRh8TgI7GtmgBxM) > ### **Nerding** [![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4RSx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd3d60b2-9f3e-4c62-8cbc-490a8afc0270_1080x1080.png)](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4RSx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbd3d60b2-9f3e-4c62-8cbc-490a8afc0270_1080x1080.png) [Try Dia.](https://www.diabrowser.com/) It will change how you use a browser, how you interact with the Internet, how you work. You will not go back. > ### **We’ve been here before** [![The elephant in the tube](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!0_pX!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe299bbec-ce80-4b68-80a8-9085f63fc0be_1024x1024.png)](https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/the-elephant-in-the-tube) #### The elephant in the tube [Lorenzo Ancona](https://substack.com/profile/142944754-lorenzo-ancona)·23 April 2025[Read full story](https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/the-elephant-in-the-tube)[![Talking to the Internet](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!NVae!,w_140,h_140,c_fill,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F4f44359c-35ea-4960-98f7-fb6191cda01a_1024x1024.webp)](https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/talking-to-the-internet) #### Talking to the Internet [Lorenzo Ancona](https://substack.com/profile/142944754-lorenzo-ancona)·3 November 2024[Read full story](https://artifactstech.substack.com/p/talking-to-the-internet) > ### **☕?** If you want to know more about Artifacts, where it all started, or **just want to connect...** [let's grab a coffee!](https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ2ibxlzyU7rgnuoTgqXb_DFc19dfHmJeu1OAu17IY0_oHrtcJtvtctAJnMabirgZNx5Z5NAPGs0)