📖문해력 위기? 산만의 시대? 현대인들이 집중을 못하는 이유 (ft.도둑맞은 집중력, 요한하리 작가)
Summary
TLDRThe video script discusses the impact of technology on our attention span and mental well-being. It narrates a personal story of a man and his godson's journey to Graceland, highlighting the struggle to disconnect from digital devices. The speaker explores the neuroscience behind our limited attention capacity and the detrimental effects of multitasking. He delves into the negativity bias of algorithms on social media, which promote anger and division, and how this contributes to increased anxiety levels, especially among teenagers. The script also examines the concept of productivity, debunking the myth that constant connectivity and stress lead to better performance. It concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to recognize the power they have as citizens to reshape their relationship with technology and reclaim their attention for a healthier, more focused life.
Takeaways
- 😣 The speaker feels overwhelmed by the negative messages received on platforms like YouTube.
- 👶 A pivotal moment in the speaker's life was a promise made to their godson to visit Graceland, which later became a realization of the detrimental effects of technology on attention and presence.
- 📱 The speaker observes the addictive and distracting nature of technology, particularly in the life of their godson who was constantly engaged with his devices.
- 🚗 The decision to travel to Graceland without using phones during the day was an attempt to break free from the numbing routine and engage more deeply with the world.
- 🏰 Upon reaching Graceland, the speaker notes the irony of people using iPads for the tour, highlighting the pervasiveness of screen time even in moments meant for experiencing something firsthand.
- 👀 The speaker's attempt to connect with their godson at Graceland is met with resistance, as the godson is unable to break away from his addiction to social media.
- 🧠 The script discusses the scientific evidence behind how technology impacts our attention span and cognitive abilities, with references to neuroscientists like Professor Earl Miller.
- 🔄 The concept of 'switch cost effect' is introduced to explain the cognitive cost of constantly switching between tasks, which is detrimental to productivity and intelligence.
- 👁️ The negativity bias in technology algorithms is highlighted, explaining how platforms promote content that evokes strong negative emotions due to higher engagement.
- 📚 The importance of meaningful learning environments is underscored, with examples of progressive schools that foster attention and engagement through interest-driven education.
- 🤯 The script points out the misconception of productivity in modern society, suggesting that being constantly connected and busy does not equate to being productive.
- 🌐 The speaker calls for a collective shift in psychology, encouraging people to take responsibility for their attention and not blame themselves for the effects of technology.
Q & A
What was the initial motivation for the speaker to investigate the impact of technology on attention?
-The speaker was motivated to investigate the impact of technology on attention after noticing the negative effects of constant device usage on their godson's life, which led to a numbing routine and a realization that this was not a healthy way to live.
What promise did the speaker make to their godson when he was nine years old?
-The speaker promised their godson that they would take him to Graceland, Elvis Presley's home, when he expressed a desire to visit after hearing stories about Elvis's life.
How did the speaker's godson's behavior change as he grew older?
-As the godson grew older, he became addicted to his iPhone, iPad, and laptop, spending most of his waking hours on these devices and experiencing a blur of WhatsApp, YouTube, and other distractions.
What condition did the speaker set for their godson before embarking on the trip to Graceland?
-The speaker asked their godson to leave his phone in the hotel during the day while on the trip to ensure that he would be present and engaged in the experience, rather than being distracted by his phone.
What was the speaker's observation about people's behavior at Graceland?
-The speaker observed that people at Graceland were mostly staring at their iPads provided for the tour, rather than looking at the actual exhibits, indicating that the constant need to look at screens is deeply ingrained.
Why did the speaker confront their godson about his phone usage at Graceland?
-The speaker confronted their godson because he was not present in the moment and was missing out on the experience by constantly checking his phone, which went against the purpose of the trip.
What did the speaker learn from Professor Earl Miller about the human brain's limitations?
-Professor Earl Miller explained that the human brain can only consciously think about one or two things at a time, which is a fundamental limitation. The belief that one can multitask is a misconception; what actually happens is rapid juggling between tasks, which comes with a significant cost known as the switch cost effect.
What is the switch cost effect, and how does it impact productivity?
-The switch cost effect refers to the cognitive cost of switching between tasks. It significantly reduces productivity because each switch consumes mental resources, leading to a decrease in overall efficiency and focus.
What role do algorithms play in promoting negative content, and what is their impact on society?
-Algorithms tend to promote negative content because it is more engaging and keeps users scrolling for longer periods. This leads to increased exposure to anger and hostility, which can contribute to higher levels of anxiety and societal division.
How does the speaker suggest we can improve our attention and overall well-being?
-The speaker suggests that we need to stop blaming ourselves and start addressing the external factors that are causing these issues. By understanding the science behind attention and making conscious choices about how we engage with technology, we can improve our focus and overall well-being.
What is the significance of the speaker's visit to the evangelicia Schuler zentrum in Berlin?
-The visit to the evangelicia Schuler zentrum in Berlin was significant because it showcased a progressive educational model where learning is infused with meaning and interest. This approach leads to better attention and engagement from students, as opposed to traditional methods that may not cater to individual interests.
What example does the speaker provide about the misconception of productivity in the workplace?
-The speaker cites an example of Andrew Barnes, who discovered that the average office worker only focuses on their job for three hours a day. Barnes then experimented with a four-day workweek, which paradoxically increased productivity, showing that exhausted people are not productive and that a better work-life balance can lead to better outcomes.
How does the speaker connect the collapse of individual and collective attention to the state of democracy?
-The speaker connects the collapse of individual and collective attention to the state of democracy by stating that democracy requires a citizenry capable of deep thought, discerning truth from lies, and sustaining pressure on politicians. A society with poor attention spans struggles to maintain a healthy democracy.
What is the speaker's call to action regarding the impact of technology on our lives?
-The speaker calls for a shift in psychology, urging us to stop blaming ourselves and instead take on the factors that are harming our attention. The speaker encourages us to reclaim our minds and our attention by making conscious decisions about our engagement with technology and advocating for change.
Outlines
🗣️ The Impact of Digital Distractions
The speaker discusses the struggle with the overwhelming messages from social media platforms like YouTube and the need to 'pull oneself together.' A pivotal moment was a promise made to their godson to visit Graceland, which was postponed for a decade. Upon reflection, the speaker realized the detrimental effect of constant digital engagement on their godson's life and decided to break the cycle by embarking on a road trip to Graceland, with the condition that they would leave their phones behind. This journey highlighted the pervasive influence of screens, even in a place meant for experiencing history, and the difficulty of breaking away from the digital distractions that have become a norm.
🧠 Understanding the Human Brain's Limitations
The speaker explores the concept of attention and its limitations, as explained by neuroscientist Professor Earl Miller. The human brain can only consciously focus on one or two things at a time, and multitasking is merely rapid task-switching, which incurs a 'switch cost' that diminishes cognitive efficiency. The speaker cites a study where uninterrupted workers had higher IQ scores than those who were constantly interrupted. Furthermore, the negativity bias in technology algorithms exacerbates the problem by promoting content that triggers anger and upset, leading to increased anxiety and distraction. The speaker emphasizes the need to address these issues to improve both individual and collective attention.
📚 The Power of Meaningful Learning
The speaker advocates for education systems that focus on meaningful learning to improve attention and productivity. They visited a progressive school in Berlin where students were engaged in a project about living on the moon, which integrated various subjects and sparked the students' interest. This approach is contrasted with the speaker's own schooling experience, where learning languages was forced and not meaningful, resulting in a lack of retention. The speaker argues that meaningful learning environments produce students who can focus better and are more productive, which is a stark contrast to the current misconceptions about productivity.
🌐 The Role of Technology in Collective Attention
The speaker discusses the impact of technology on collective attention, using Facebook's internal research as an example. The research revealed that Facebook's algorithm was promoting hatred and division, which parallels the collapse of individual attention. The speaker argues that the same factors harming individual attention are also damaging collective attention, which is essential for a functioning democracy. They call for a shift in psychology, urging people to stop blaming themselves and instead address the factors causing these issues. The speaker concludes with a call to action for citizens to reclaim their minds and attention in the face of technological influences.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Distraction
💡Presence
💡Switch Cost Effect
💡Negativity Bias
💡Productivity
💡Algorithms
💡Attention
💡Meaningful Engagement
💡Collective Attention
💡Digital Detox
Highlights
The speaker discusses the negative impact of constant digital distractions on mental health and well-being.
A personal anecdote about a godson's obsession with Elvis Presley leads to a meaningful road trip to Graceland.
The realization of the speaker that modern technology has led to a numbing routine and a lack of presence in one's own life.
An agreement with the godson to leave phones behind during the day to truly experience the trip to Graceland.
Observation of visitors at Graceland using iPads for the tour instead of engaging with the environment.
The godson's struggle to disconnect from his phone, even during a meaningful trip, highlighting the power of digital addiction.
A confrontation about the importance of being present in one's life rather than being consumed by digital distractions.
The speaker's quest to understand the impact of technology on attention and mental health, leading to research at MIT.
Interview with Professor Earl Miller revealing the brain's limitation to consciously think about only one or two things at a time.
The concept of 'switch cost effect' explaining the cognitive cost of multitasking and constant switching between tasks.
A study showing that uninterrupted workers have a significantly higher IQ score compared to those who are chronically interrupted.
The role of technology in promoting negative bias and its impact on mental health, particularly in young people.
The speaker's visit to progressive schools that infuse learning with meaning to improve attention and engagement.
Andrew Barnes' experiment with a four-day workweek resulting in increased productivity and employee satisfaction.
Facebook's internal research showing that its algorithm inherently promotes hatred and division.
The connection between the collapse of individual and collective attention and the health of democracy.
The speaker's call to action for citizens to reclaim their attention and minds from the influence of technology.
Transcripts
you know foreign
foreign
I'm not strong enough the kind of
messages you're getting from the people
who Shout At You on YouTube you know
just pull yourself together pull
yourself together I kept saying to
myself and actually it was an experience
with a young person that I really loved
that made me really forced me to begin
to investigate this I've got a godson
and when he was nine he developed a
brief and very cute obsession with Elvis
Presley and every night when he would
get me to tuck him into bed he got me to
tell him the story of Elvis's life over
and over again and one night I mentioned
Graceland where Elvis lived and I said
you know people go and visit it and his
whole face lit up and he said well Johan
will you take me to Graceland and I said
sure the way you do with nine-year-olds
and he said no do you really swear one
day you'll take me to Graceland and I
said I absolutely promise and I didn't
think at that moment again for 10 years
until so many things had gone wrong by
the time he was 19 he spent literally
almost all his waking hours alternating
between his iPhone his iPad and his
laptop and his life was just this blur
of WhatsApp YouTube porn and it really
felt like he was almost like moving at
the speed of Snapchat I wasn't that much
better right I wasn't quite as bad but I
was staring at my own devices and I
thought God this is no way to live and I
suddenly remembered this moment all
these years before and I said to him
hang let's go to Graceland this is no
way to live let's break this numbing
routine let's go on a road trip all over
the South but you've got to promise me
one thing which is if we go you'll leave
your phone in the hotel during the day
because there's no point in going if
you're just going to stare at your phone
the whole time and it took a while and
he really thought about it because he
wasn't happy living like this and he
said you know what let's do it and I
think it was two weeks maybe three weeks
later we took off to New Orleans where
we went first and a couple of weeks
later we got to the gates of Graceland
right there was no person to show you
around anymore what happens is you
arrive they hand you an iPad you put in
earbuds and the iPad card shows you
around right it says go live all right
I'm noticing as we're walking around
people just walk around Graceland
staring at the iPad right but it's the
slightly odd I'm kind of looking at them
and thinking wow we traveled a long way
to to get here but no one's looking at
it and yet he shouldn't be looking at a
screen but looking at the screen is part
of the tour program exactly it's like
the world is constantly pushing you to
be staring at screens and every now and
then someone would look away from their
screen and I would smile and try to make
eye contact with them and I'd realize
they looked away from the iPad to take
out their iPhone take a selfie put the
phone back go back to looking at the
screen and turn to my godson to laugh
about it he was standing in the corner
staring at Snapchat because from the
moment we landed he literally could not
stop and I went up to him grabbed the
phone out of his hands but he's stronger
than me and I said look I know you're
afraid of missing out but this is
guaranteeing that you'll miss out you're
not present in your own life you're not
showing up at the events of your own
existence this is no way to to live and
he stormed off understandably and I
found him that night by the Heartbreak
Hotel where we were staying up the
street and he was sitting by the huge
guitar shaped swimming pool and I went
up to him and I apologize for getting so
angry and he didn't look up from his
phone but he said I know something's
really wrong and I don't know what it is
we came to get away from that problem of
distraction but there was nowhere to
escape to because it is the air we
breathe it's everywhere and that's when
I thought okay I need to get to the
bottom of what's happened to us and most
importantly how do we put it
this is actually scientific evidence for
12 factors
make your attention better or can make
it worse and and load
s have been hugely rising in recent
years so when you feel the way you did
when I feel the way I did it's the
sudden realization oh there's nothing
wrong with you and there's nothing wrong
with me there's something wrong with the
way we're living together
so I went to MIT the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology to interview one
of the leading neuroscientists in the
world an amazing man named Professor
Earl Miller and he said to me look
there's one thing you have to understand
about the human brain more than anything
else you can only consciously think
about one or two things at a time that's
it this is a fundamental limitation of
the human brain the average teenager now
believes they can follow seven forms of
media at the same time so what happens
is scientists like Professor Miller
scientists all over the world including
in Korea get people into labs and get
them to think they're doing more than
one thing at a time and then they
monitor them and what they discover is
always the same you can't do more than
one thing at a time but what you do is
you juggle very rapidly between tasks
you're like what did you just ask me
what is this message on WhatsApp what
does it say on the TV over there what is
this message on Facebook wait so what
did you ask me again and it turns out
that juggling comes with a really big
cost the technical term for it is the
switch cost effect the most important
terms people can learn the switch cost
effect
switching questions
the printer company got a scientist in
to study their workers and he split them
into two groups and the first group was
told just get on with your task whatever
it is and you're not going to be
interrupted and the second group was
told get on with your task whatever it
is at the same time though you've got to
answer a heavy load of email and phone
calls so pretty much how most of us live
and at the end of it the scientists
involved Dr Glenn Wilson tested the IQs
of both groups the group that had not
been interrupted scored on average 10 IQ
points higher than the group they had to
give you a sense of how big an effect
that is if you were me smoked cannabis
together now and got stoned our IQs
would go down in the short term by five
point
so being chronically interrupted is
twice as bad of your intelligence in the
short term as getting stoned but you can
see how big an effect this is right
technology
the technical term for it is negativity
bias basically you will stare longer at
something that makes you angry and upset
than you will at something that makes
you feel good if you've ever seen a car
crash on the highway you know what I
mean you stared longer at the car wreck
than you did at the pretty flowers on
the other side of the street right
closer to our profession is when we see
90 good book reviews we forget about
them and we see one bad one and you stay
open right wanting to respond to that
person you know saying that that's not
what I meant uh I completely agree this
has always been part of us but when it
combines with algorithms that learn who
you are and what makes you specifically
angry it has a terrible effect so
picture two teenage girls who go to the
same party and go home on the same bus
they both open their phones and do Tick
Tock videos and one of them says that
was such a great party last night we
danced to Ariana Grande loved it brought
fun and the other one opens their phone
and goes ugh Aaron was an absolute skank
at that party and her boyfriend's an
and just as an angry rant about
everyone at the party the algorithms are
constantly scanning the kind of words
you use and they'll put the first video
into a few people's feeds but it'll put
the second video into far more people's
speeds because if it's enraging it's
engaging you know what do you mean
Karen's a skang you're a skank it's
gonna cause a fight you're going to come
back you keep arguing more and more
people get drawn in so we can talk about
the sharing lovely videos about flipping
water bottles which I agree love it but
the the algorithm will mix that with
increasingly negative and hostile videos
because you are more likely to keep
scrolling if you see anger in hostile
videos in fact Professor Gene twangy in
San Diego has shown in the United States
the average teenage girl now has the
same level of anxiety that the average
teenager admitted to a psychiatric
hospital had in the 1950s right so we've
got very high levels of anxiety
questions
in fact they discovered that a third of
all the people who had joined Neo-Nazi
groups in Germany had joined because the
Facebook algorithm it's specifically
recommended it you might want to join it
said followed by a Neo-Nazi groups
is attention involved to attach to
meaning a frog can pay really good
attention to a fly and it doesn't pay
very much attention to a stone because a
fly is really meaningful to a frog
that's dinner right the stone who cares
it's nothing to me right schools that
are about finding out what kids find
interesting and infusing learning with
meaning produce kids who can pay much
better attention so I spent a lot of
time going to Progressive schools for
the book to see this in practice for
example I went to a school in Berlin
called the evangelicia Schuler zentrum
which has this fascinating model so they
start every school year by looking by
getting the kids to talk about something
they find interesting so when I was
there they'd come up with a question
could human beings ever live on the moon
it's an elementary school they're young
kids right and then half of all the
lessons they do are exploring this from
different questions so they learn the
history of people going to the moon and
going to space they learn the math of
how do rockets get to the moon how would
you build they learn the science of like
cat how do you bring oxygen to the moon
and because it's something a question
they wanted to answer they're so much
more plugged in to exploring it you can
see their excitement and they start
coming up with other elements they want
to explore right the difference between
that and what I got at school I imagine
you have one of these back in the days
[Laughter]
I'd love to be able to read loads of
ancient Roman texts that's because I
want now to understand it I think about
the disgrace of the fact that I was
taught languages at school I spent Seven
Years Learning those languages and I
could not speak a damn word of them now
because I was forced to do it and I
didn't care school systems infused with
meaning produce kids who are much better
able to focus the problems that you
point out is especially pronounced in
Korea it's interesting speaking to you
and hearing what you're saying Makes Me
Maybe it helps me to understand why the
Korean Edition is the best-selling
non-english language edition of the
books
yourself what it makes you realize and I
think Korea is very cutely but this is
also true in Britain the United States
many places it's how we've ended up with
a profoundly wrong conception of what
productivity is so at some level we all
know this because there's no one
watching who would want the Korean
soccer team to walk onto the match
having had five hours sleep the night
before really stressed out and anxious
and with their phone in their hand to
answer text messages that might come in
during the game no one would want that
right we all know the team will
definitely lose if you did that right
and we have to then apply that principle
to ourselves right if it doesn't make
your soccer team productive it also
doesn't make you productive so there's a
guy called Andrew Barnes you should also
have him on your podcast and introduce
these great person one day he was on a
plane and he read a study that really
shocked him in the economist or
something like that that is found that
the average office worker was actually
only focusing on their job three hours a
day so they're sitting at their desk for
eight hours a day but they're actually
only really focusing for three hours and
I thought wow this is a really bad deal
for everyone this bad deal for the
worker then they're not doing the things
they want to do and it's a bad deal for
the employer because you know you're
paying people for eight hours they're
only getting three so he decided to do
an experiment he figured if I gave
people an extra day off every week so
they only worked for four days a week
but I paid them the same as I currently
pay them to work five days if in return
they were just 40 minutes more
productive if these figures applied to
his company they're just 45 minutes more
productive then that would make up for
the extra day right and what they
discovered seems at first really odd the
company achieved more in four days than
they had in five right and this is
something that's been found everywhere
they've tried a four day week they tried
it in Toyota in Japan they had a 40
increase in productivity and again it
seems counter-intuitive Until you
realize exhausted
people are not productive foreign
let's look at Facebook's own internal
research which was leaked by a heroic
whistleblower Francis Haugen in the wake
of the election of Donald Trump and the
brexit vote in my own country which has
had a catastrophic effect on the British
economy in the aftermath of that
Facebook set up a group of its own data
scientists to figure out what did we
play a role in promoting this rage right
um and what their own data scientists
found is that Facebook's algorithm was
inherently promoting hatred and division
it's not a coincidence that our
individual attention is collapsing at
the same time as our Collective
attention right the factors that are
assaulting individual attention are
profoundly harming Collective attention
and democracy is a form of deep
attention right it requires a citizenry
that can pay attention that can think
deeply that can distinguish truth from
lies can sustain pressure on politicians
until they do the things they need to do
a society of people that can't do that
can't be a democracy being entire
internet has existed for less than 10
000 days many of these changes that
we're talking about are very recent
right lots of people watching can
remember the world before many of these
changes right we can fix this stuff if
we want to but it won't fix itself right
yes of course we want a life with lots
of Technology but we also want a life
where we can think deeply where we can
read books where our children can play
outside if we want that we can get it
right the evidence is very clear about
how to get there I've seen it being put
into practice all over the world but it
requires a shift in Psychology we need
to stop blaming ourselves and start
blaming the factors that are doing this
does and taking them on because we are
not we're not medieval peasants begging
at the court of King Zuckerberg and King
mask for a few little crumbs of
attention from their table we are the
free citizens of democracies extremely
hard one democracies in the case of
South Korea and we own our own minds and
together we can take them back if we
want to thank you
[Music]
foreign
foreign
[Music]
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