Distracted : the erosion of attention and the coming Dark Age / Maggie Jackson ; foreword by Bill McKibben.
Material type: TextPublication details: Amherst, N.Y. : Prometheus Books, 2008.Description: 327 p. ; 24 cmISBN:- 1591026237
- 9781591026235
- Attention -- Social aspects -- United States
- Distraction (Psychology) -- United States
- Social change -- United States
- Social psychology -- United States
- Technology -- Social aspects -- United States
- United States -- Civilization -- 1970-
- United States -- Civilization -- 21st century -- Forecasting
- United States -- Social conditions -- 1980-
- United States -- Social life and customs -- 1971-
Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book | Main Library | NonFiction | 306.0973 J13 | Available | 33111005730417 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
In this gripping exposé of our cyber-centric, attention-deficient life, journalist Maggie Jackson argues that we are eroding our capacity for deep attention and mindfulness -- the building blocks of intimacy, wisdom, and cultural progress. The implications for a healthy society are stark.
Despite our wondrous technologies and scientific advances, we are nurturing a culture of diffusion and detachment. With our attention scattered among the beeps and pings of a push-button world, we are less and less able to pause, reflect, and deeply connect.
In her sweeping quest to unravel the nature of attention and detail its losses, Jackson introduces us to scientists, cartographers, marketers, educators, wired teens, and even roboticists. She offers us a compelling wake-up call, an adventure story, and reasons for hope.
As the author shows, neuroscience is just now decoding the workings of attention, with its three pillars of focus, awareness, and judgment, and revealing how these skills can be shaped and taught. This is exciting news for all of us living in an age of overload.
Pull over, hit the pause button, and prepare for an eye-opening journey. More than ever, we cannot afford to let distraction become the marker of our time.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-309) and index.
Lengthening shadows: exploring our landscape of distraction -- Deepening twilight: pursuing the narrowing path -- Dark times ... or Renaissance of attention?