Review: How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy

How To Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Wow, was this title wrong. I have read a number of books about attention in modern society, and hoped that this was similar to those pop science/self help books, but updated. Instead, this is a personal screed on, among other things, working to walk back progress. Unlike other books on attention written from a scientific perspective or intending to help the reader fix an issue, this was written from an artist/protester perspective, and gave no guidance. This is more a philosophy or personal memoir kind of book. About half the book is about the author’s thoughts and actions, which lean to protesting the current state of the world. If you are looking for the author’s take on Diogenes, who appeared here to have never “done nothing” given the authors extended examples from his life, this is the place. If you are interested in dealing with issues concerning attention, look elsewhere.

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