Mar 26, 2023 17:58
1 yr ago
61 viewers *
English term
attention addiction
English
Social Sciences
Psychology
Dear colleagues,
I’m not sure about the meaning of “attention addiction” in the passages below.
Initially, I interpreted it as meaning: “being addicted to receiving attention from other people". However, the author also talks about “attention-addictive digital devices and platforms”, and he does so in virtually the same context (when he refers to the pandemics of modern times).
So maybe, “attention addiction” should be understood as “attention being compulsively attracted to digital devices”?
What’s your opinion? Are they two different meanings of “attention addiction” or just one?
Thank you so much for your help!
***************
A fifth pandemic is of attention addiction, the draw of our attentional focus toward compelling states of endless comparison and competition and the ensuing feeling of inadequacy, inferiority, and incompleteness.
***************************
The pandemic of attention-addiction draws us to focus on digital distractions that keep us disconnected in our relational lives
*************************
In adolescence, a new awareness of the major pandemics confronting us may emerge – the challenges of a virus, of social injustice, of polarization, of *** attention-addiction ***, and of environmental destruction – and we can come to feel inspired to make a difference or overwhelmed and driven to avoid such knowledge
*****
As we look back at modern human culture over the last century – from the first reports of the impact of carbon emissions on our natural world to the civil rights movement in the 1960s and the efforts to shed light on social injustice to the increase in polarization and misinformation to the more recent invention of *** attention-addictive digital devices and platforms *** – we might come to see a similar parallel of denial within the 3-P diagram for our contemporary human family.
I’m not sure about the meaning of “attention addiction” in the passages below.
Initially, I interpreted it as meaning: “being addicted to receiving attention from other people". However, the author also talks about “attention-addictive digital devices and platforms”, and he does so in virtually the same context (when he refers to the pandemics of modern times).
So maybe, “attention addiction” should be understood as “attention being compulsively attracted to digital devices”?
What’s your opinion? Are they two different meanings of “attention addiction” or just one?
Thank you so much for your help!
***************
A fifth pandemic is of attention addiction, the draw of our attentional focus toward compelling states of endless comparison and competition and the ensuing feeling of inadequacy, inferiority, and incompleteness.
***************************
The pandemic of attention-addiction draws us to focus on digital distractions that keep us disconnected in our relational lives
*************************
In adolescence, a new awareness of the major pandemics confronting us may emerge – the challenges of a virus, of social injustice, of polarization, of *** attention-addiction ***, and of environmental destruction – and we can come to feel inspired to make a difference or overwhelmed and driven to avoid such knowledge
*****
As we look back at modern human culture over the last century – from the first reports of the impact of carbon emissions on our natural world to the civil rights movement in the 1960s and the efforts to shed light on social injustice to the increase in polarization and misinformation to the more recent invention of *** attention-addictive digital devices and platforms *** – we might come to see a similar parallel of denial within the 3-P diagram for our contemporary human family.
Responses
+1
2 days 14 mins
Yvonne Gallagher
Ireland
Ireland
Native in English
&
English
Ireland
right word, right place. everytime
Native in: English (Variants: US, Canadian, Irish, UK) 
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
65
Selected
related but not synonymous meanings
Just a run through....
Some of these are actually defined:
1."A fifth pandemic is of attention addiction, the draw of our attentional focus toward compelling states of endless comparison and competition ...."
= we feel constantly compelled to compare ourselves with others and compete with them, and this leaves us with a "feeling of inadequacy, inferiority, and incompleteness"
=comparing and competing has become an addiction for us, and the consequences can be nasty (for some this could be "attention-seeking" but not necessarily as there are many who are "fans" rather than seeking glory for themselves)
***************************
2. "The pandemic of attention-addiction draws us to focus on digital distractions that keep us disconnected in our relational lives "
= our attention is constantly drawn to "digital distractions" hence, by being so distracted we lose our connections in terms of our relationships
=we are addicted to digital distractions and thus not focusing on our relationships
*************************
3. "In adolescence, a new awareness of the major pandemics confronting us may emerge – the challenges of [...], of *** attention-addiction ***, and of environmental destruction..."
=become aware of the major pandemics in adolescence, including that of "attention-addiction",
recognising that our attention is constantly being drawn elsewhere. So, we may decide to focus our attention on these problems or be "overwhelmed" and "...avoid such knowledge" instead
*****
4. "As we look back at modern human culture over the last century [...] to the more recent invention of *** attention-addictive digital devices and platforms"
= addictive digital devices and platforms (constantly absorb our attention)
Of course, with addictive digital devices and platforms and social media absorbing our attention there is even more likelihood that our attention to the other matters is also magnified.
Obviously, we can compare ourselves even more readily with the aid of addictive digital media! And compete more as everything is at our fingertips.(1) thus losing even more focus and connections in our relational lives (2)
These addictive devices also mean our attention is drawn to the major "pandemics" in the world and we can choose to get involved or try to ignore them if we are overwhelmed (3) and also means we have our attention drawn to these devices in an addictive way. Information constantly being spewed at us but perhaps causing an "increase in polarization and misinformation" like in the past and denial.
Yes, we can use these devices, if so inclined, to draw other people's attention to us. But I think the main idea is that WE can't seem to focus as our attention is being drawn in different directions all the time. Information overload. We are addicted to the addictive devices
So, I think there is a difference in meaning
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Note added at 2 days 5 hrs (2023-03-28 23:38:23 GMT)
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Hi Haribert, I honestly don't see WHY you see this as "receiving attention" when it clearly states (as I highlighted above) the DRAW OF [,,,] FOCUS TOWARD....
Not really about "receiving" (or seeking) attention but rather giving it or having it drawn from us
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2023-03-30 22:06:16 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Glad to have helped.
Some of these are actually defined:
1."A fifth pandemic is of attention addiction, the draw of our attentional focus toward compelling states of endless comparison and competition ...."
= we feel constantly compelled to compare ourselves with others and compete with them, and this leaves us with a "feeling of inadequacy, inferiority, and incompleteness"
=comparing and competing has become an addiction for us, and the consequences can be nasty (for some this could be "attention-seeking" but not necessarily as there are many who are "fans" rather than seeking glory for themselves)
***************************
2. "The pandemic of attention-addiction draws us to focus on digital distractions that keep us disconnected in our relational lives "
= our attention is constantly drawn to "digital distractions" hence, by being so distracted we lose our connections in terms of our relationships
=we are addicted to digital distractions and thus not focusing on our relationships
*************************
3. "In adolescence, a new awareness of the major pandemics confronting us may emerge – the challenges of [...], of *** attention-addiction ***, and of environmental destruction..."
=become aware of the major pandemics in adolescence, including that of "attention-addiction",
recognising that our attention is constantly being drawn elsewhere. So, we may decide to focus our attention on these problems or be "overwhelmed" and "...avoid such knowledge" instead
*****
4. "As we look back at modern human culture over the last century [...] to the more recent invention of *** attention-addictive digital devices and platforms"
= addictive digital devices and platforms (constantly absorb our attention)
Of course, with addictive digital devices and platforms and social media absorbing our attention there is even more likelihood that our attention to the other matters is also magnified.
Obviously, we can compare ourselves even more readily with the aid of addictive digital media! And compete more as everything is at our fingertips.(1) thus losing even more focus and connections in our relational lives (2)
These addictive devices also mean our attention is drawn to the major "pandemics" in the world and we can choose to get involved or try to ignore them if we are overwhelmed (3) and also means we have our attention drawn to these devices in an addictive way. Information constantly being spewed at us but perhaps causing an "increase in polarization and misinformation" like in the past and denial.
Yes, we can use these devices, if so inclined, to draw other people's attention to us. But I think the main idea is that WE can't seem to focus as our attention is being drawn in different directions all the time. Information overload. We are addicted to the addictive devices
So, I think there is a difference in meaning
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 days 5 hrs (2023-03-28 23:38:23 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Hi Haribert, I honestly don't see WHY you see this as "receiving attention" when it clearly states (as I highlighted above) the DRAW OF [,,,] FOCUS TOWARD....
Not really about "receiving" (or seeking) attention but rather giving it or having it drawn from us
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 days (2023-03-30 22:06:16 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Glad to have helped.
Note from asker:
| Dear Yvonne, thank you so much for your contribution! I'll think about it, although I still am not sure about how to rephrase "attention addiction" in the first instances... if it is not "addiction to receiving attention", maybe it is "addiction to focusing attention to (compelling states...etc..) |
| Dear Yvonne, thanks for your time. I'll answer in the Discussion... |
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you so much, Yvonne, for your help as well as for your patience! Many thanks also to all other colleagues!"
3 hrs
Mihaela C N Plamadeala
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
United Kingdom
Ro native,BA Eng,translator,proofreader
Native in: Romanian (Variants: Romania, Transylvanian, Moldovan) 
Works in: English to Romanian, Romanian to English, Romanian, and 1 more.
Attention seeking
Obviously, "attention-addictive digital devices", means people become addicted to them, as Phil pointed out.
The attention addiction refers to people seeking constant attention and validation through social media.
The attention addiction refers to people seeking constant attention and validation through social media.
Note from asker:
| thank you so much, Mihaeal, for your help! |
| Sorry for mispelling your name, Mihaela! |
Discussion
Thank you so much for your patience!
Many people are addicted to their devices without being attention seekers! So it would be overtranslation in my view to extrapolate that digital devices and platforms "cause someone to be addicted to receiving attention, to seeking attention” as you surmise. I hoped that paraphrasing all the excerpts would help your translation but obviously not.
https://books.google.it/books?id=7wN8M-2EY5wC&printsec=front...
Moreover, the author of my book is a psychiatrist... that’s one more reason I’m not sure about the meaning... It seems strange to me that he doesn’t refer to this form of disorder...
Also, while in English it is possible to let the phrase somewhat ambiguous, in Italian I have to choose a preposition.... Is it “addiction to attention” or “addiction of attention” ? But I know this is a question for the English-Italian section!
Thank you for your patience!
Have a nice day!
Thank you all for your patience!
Thanks again!