D. Graham Burnett

Peter Schmidt, co-founder of the Strother School of Radical Attention and attention activist, and D. Graham Burnett, Princeton historian of science, discuss the trillion-dollar fight over human focus. They explore attention as a common good, trace its philosophical history, warn against 'human fracking' of attention, and outline collective politics, sanctuaries, and low-barrier activism to reclaim shared mental space.

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.

D. Graham Burnett, Princeton historian of science and founder of Friends of Attention, explores how attention is being colonized. He discusses diverse resistance strategies, tactical uses of AI and platforms, and attention as a spiritual practice. Short, sharp ideas on community rules, education, and fighting the attention economy populate the conversation.

D. Graham Burnett, Princeton historian of science and co-editor of Attensity, advocates the Attention Liberation Movement. He describes how attention is being extracted like environmental fracking. He calls for collective political responses, links attention harms to threats to democracy, and outlines a manifesto and mobilization strategies.

D. Graham Burnett, a historian at Princeton, Alyssa Loh, a filmmaker and attention activist, and Peter Schmidt, director of the Strother School, dive into the urgent concept of 'human fracking,' where attention is commodified like a resource. They discuss how the Friends of Attention collective arose to reclaim our humanity from corporate exploitation. The trio explores redefining attention as a caring practice and emphasizes the need for sanctuaries and collective action to protect our focus from being mined by tech platforms.