ReThinking: The truth about the attention crisis with historian Daniel Immerwahr

In this episode of ReThinking, Adam Grant interviews historian Daniel Immerwahr about the widespread belief that our attention spans are decreasing due to technology. Immerwahr challenges this notion, arguing that while people may not be engaging with traditional forms of media like novels, they are deeply engaged with other forms of content, such as video games and online communities. They explore historical parallels to current attention concerns, with past generations worrying about novels and pianos in similar ways. They discuss the quality of attention, the role of motivation, and whether the focus should be on the content people are consuming rather than the ability to pay attention itself. Immerwahr suggests that the perception of an attention crisis might be a moral panic, and that people are simply shifting their attention to different things.