Tag: Media

LK LohanLeave a comment

Attention!

I’m currently reading the excellent “How to Do Nothing – Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell. It’s a dense, academic read at times, and I’ve found myself looking up words; something that I don’t do too often. That may be less of a testament to my prodigious vocabulary than to the possibility that I haven’t been challenging myself in my reading enough. In her book, Odell rejects the idea that the attention economy (e.g. social media, TV, and their sine qua non – the advertising industry) is a given. Something we cannot escape and are powerless to confront. That Read More …

LK LohanLeave a comment

Don’t Take on the Stress of Others

“Don’t take on the stress of others” is advice (from Mark Sisson) that recently popped up in my inbox. I don’t take it to mean that we’re supposed to be as cold as a dead fish in the face of other people’s distress. If we can in any way help, we should do so, if our help is welcome. Sometimes it isn’t — and that’s all right. All we can do is to be gracious about offering our help as well as accepting a rejection. Empathy and Outrage Empathy is a precursor to any genuine wish to help that’s driven Read More …

LK Lohan

Using Media Deliberately Instead of Reactively

I’m too old to be reactive in my use of media. As my birthdays stack up, the rational understanding that this lifetime is limited is being replaced by visceral certainty. With that realization comes a certain existential dread, but also an urgency to work on what matters, and an increasing unwillingness to live my life reactively. A live of reactivity precludes a life of reflection and creativity. The always-on lifestyle takes reactivity to the extreme. When each notification requires a quick check-in, when you’re compelled to refresh your various social media feeds every time you’re bored or distracted or facing Read More …