“Now we find people can only pay attention to one screen for an average of 47 seconds,” remarked  Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California. This rings true for numerous Korea University (KU) students as well, who might have difficulties not only reading texts but also watching movies that run for longer than two hours. They often cannot watch a movie without doing something else such as gaming, chatting with their friends through social media, or doing household chores. Stolen Focus, written by Johann Hari, shows the author’s journey interviewing experts from around the world who study declining concentration levels and revealing the truth behind the younger generations’ loss of focus.

Johann Hari is the author of three New York Times best-selling books: Stolen Focus, Lost Connections, and Chasing the Scream. He studied Social and Political Sciences at King’s College, Cambridge, graduating with a degree in both fields. Utilizing his expertise, Hari skillfully leads readers through his analysis of attention spans by interviewing experts, utilizing statistics, and sharing his own experiences. Stolen Focus reveals the causes of concentration loss and provides possible solutions.

Shattering Misconceptions 

According to YouGov, nearly two-thirds of Americans (63 percent) describe themselves as multi-taskers. People also think that fast thinking, meaning striving to complete a task as quickly as possible, is very efficient and time-saving, allowing them to move on to other things, just like solving game levels. Stolen Focus demonstrates that these are all misconceptions. Hari showcases the benefits when people slow down and focus on one thing deeply and thoroughly. He mentions that one of the things that people have lost in multi-tasking is immersion. He presents research conducted by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi, an American psychologist, on those who have experienced immersion. People who experience immersion feel that they are “in the flow” and tend to enjoy the process of the work itself, rather than focusing on the outcome. They seem to be unaware of time, deeply concentrating on one task. According to Hari, multi-tasking is a fantasy created by modern-day humans to survive in a world full of information. It is also another name for shortened attention spans, and this causes numerous side effects such as fatigue, lowered efficiency, and inability to eliminate unnecessary information.

Some believe concentration loss is one’s own fault, thinking that it results when people are too weak-willed to concentrate or turn off their smartphones. However, Hari states that this is also a misconception. He argues that social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and even search engines such as Google deliberately disrupt people’s concentration. To expose viewers to as many advertisements as possible by increasing screen time, Internet Technology (IT) corporations use algorithms that reflect human instinct. For example, humans tend to pay more attention to negative things than positive things, so the algorithm uses negative content to make users stay on the screen. This shows that it is not an individual’s fault to be distracted all the time since these companies try to distract people with the contents they show.

Ways to Regain One’s Focus

The book shows the author’s own experience of digital detox – entirely blocking himself from the internet. According to Reviews.org, nearly two in five Americans (39 percent) have tried staying away from their phone or technology for a set amount of time. Hari not only demonstrates the powerful impact of trying to stay away from his smartphone but also the difficulties and side effects he experienced during digital detox. He then provides the readers with other solutions people may not have thought about, relating the solutions to the causes of concentration loss.

Hari also emphasizes that, in addition to personal efforts, government-level efforts are needed to regain concentration. He insists that since concentration loss is not a problem that can be attributed to one’s carelessness but rather a problem caused by smartphone apps we regularly use, forbidding IT corporations’ surveillance of users would be necessary. This does not mean that the government should ban all social media platforms, but social media platforms should be improved in the right direction to eliminate the functions that cause deterioration of concentration.

Reading Stolen Focus will make people realize that they were wrong about concentration. They may have thought that they lost their focus, but their focus was deliberately stolen. People who live in the 21st century and use their smartphones all the time should be aware of the devastating effects of the apps they use. Recognizing the true cause of why they cannot concentrate is important to stop big tech companies from making additional victims and regain focus. This book is recommended to various people, including those who feel that they can no longer gain focus and are trying to find a solution, and those who attribute concentration loss to people’s ignorance.

Book Information

Title: Stolen Focus

Author: Johann Hari

Publisher: Crown

Publication Year: 2022

Pages: 368