Factually! with Adam Conover You Are Being Robbed of Your Attention with D. Graham Burnett and Peter Schmidt
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Jan 14, 2026 
D. Graham Burnett, a Princeton historian and co-editor of a compelling manifesto on attention liberation, joins Peter Schmidt, an attention activist focused on reclaiming our perceptual spaces. They delve into the commodification of our attention, likening it to 'human fracking' driven by tech giants. The duo discusses the military origins of attention research and how algorithms manipulate perceived choices. They advocate for attentional diversity and propose simple practices to reclaim our focus, framing their movement as a call for collective action against exploitative business models.
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Attention Was Mechanized
- Scientific and military research historically narrowed our notion of attention to measurable 'time on task'.
- That mechanistic model fit industry needs and later enabled attention to be priced and exploited.
From Casinos To Smartphones
- Casino engineering translated laboratory attention studies into machines that reinforced narrow, screen-focused attention.
- Mobile platforms later borrowed those lessons to condition users into the same monetizable attention patterns.
Rewilding Human Attention
- Attention is diverse: daydreaming, caregiving, wandering are valid attentional modes often ignored.
- Rewilding attention means restoring those non-commodified modes as essential to personhood.
