Rebelling Against the Attention Economy: Why I am Choosing to Write More
Ironically, this will be the shortest piece on my page as I begin to take tiny steps toward challenging the attention economy. Let’s face it—I, too, have spent countless hours scrolling for mindless entertainment and, occasionally, illuminating information. Mostly the former, as my phone’s screen time tracker reveals. I was averaging about 7-8 hours a day on my phone, mostly on Instagram, last I checked, during the cooler months of 2025. This number dropped significantly after I deactivated my account. It really can get that bad. Before this post veers into me going off the grid to build a house in the hills, let me say this clearly: I am not an AI pessimist, nor am I averse to technology. I don’t reject social media entirely; I have contributed to the ever-growing digital archive of images, videos, text, and AI-generated content. I am, like many others, a participant in our collective digital lives. Honestly, I think there’s space for both—writing a good old-fashioned letter to a friend and, on the flip side, whipping up an app that sends digital letters every month. The key, at least for me, is knowing why I’m choosing one over the other. It’s not about picking sides; it’s about the intention behind what I do.
There are days when I overthink disconnected topics—personal, professional, and everything in between. Other times, I construct million-dollar ideas in my head as I’m about to sleep. And then—they’re gone. My brain becomes mush; where do these ideas go? Into an abyss of countless fleeting thoughts, floating somewhere in imaginary cloud storage? I lose them all because, instead of exploring and shaping these sparks, I start scrolling endlessly on my phone. What a missed opportunity. I’ve lost countless chances to capture and nurture my ideas, to turn them into something living and breathing. Of course, it’s impossible to act on every idea, but I could at least store them somewhere accessible. Who knows? Maybe someone else will open that drawer out of curiosity and pick out an idea they like.
I need to save my thoughts. In my opinion, there is no other platform besides my personal page to do this.
I don’t yet know what I'll write about. I have a few ideas and a plethora of both solid and fleeting interests. Writing and publishing here is partly an exercise in exploring these interests more deeply, and in finding a permanent home for them. This outlet forces me to pause, think, rethink, reject, accept, edit, revise, and read more intentionally. I hope it will encourage the same for my readers.
I’m certain this process will change my outlook. Writing is hard—good writing even harder—but it’s also deeply rewarding. You put your most vulnerable ideas into ink and make them a permanent part of the world’s footprint. It has to be worth reading.
Expect reflections on my experiences and experiments with technology, as well as thoughts on education, and how both shape culture and society. I might also share reactions to other writings—how they influence my thinking—and offer a few directions for future thinkers. As the world transforms in weird and magical ways, I’ll write about what I learn along the way. What I can promise is that everything here will be deeply personal, reflective, and informative. Education, in all its forms—not just the kind within four walls—remains at the heart of what I do.
I hope to read more, preferably from a friend’s recommendation rather than an algorithm’s. These days, I’m losing track of it all, so let’s leave it at that—for now. See you in the next one, whenever that might be: days, weeks, or years from now. Let’s keep it a mystery.
