Human Capacity in the Attention Economy

This edited volume investigates the impact of information technology through the lens of human cognitive capacity and the ways in which it influences how we think, feel, and behave. Our endless use of smartphones, unbridled internet access, and the ubiquity of applications on these platforms touches many facets of our lives. The book offers a general framework that articulates how basic attentional and cognitive processes are impacted by information technology, and how more complex aspects of human experience are affected as a result. Setting aside issues of goodness or harmfulness of the internet and related technologies, each chapter considers a different aspect of the ways in which humans, with limited information processing capabilities, interact with an almost infinite informational environment. The authors examine what makes these technologies so addictive; their effect on emotional well‑being, memory, and learning; and their impact on our ability to engage in important daily activities, like driving a car. Other contributors discuss the replenishment of depleted cognitive reserves, and offer recommendations to help us chart a way forward in today’s attention economy. Contents Contributors Acknowledgments Introduction: Defining the Issue and the Structure of This Book Chapter 1 A General Framework for Understanding the Impact of Information Technology on Human Experience Part I How Information Technology Influences Behavior and Emotion Chapter 2 Digital Distraction: What Makes the Internet and Smartphone So Addictive? Chapter 3 Information Technology and Its Impact on Emotional Well-Being Part II How Information Technology Influences Cognition and Performance Chapter 4 Information Technology and Learning Chapter 5 “Say Cheese!”: How Taking and Viewing Photos Can Shape Memory and Cognition Chapter 6 The Multitasking Motorist and the Attention Economy Part III Getting Away and Looking Forward Chapter 7 How Nature Helps Replenish Our Depleted Cognitive Reserves and Improves Mood by Increasing Activation of the Brain’s Default Mode Network Chapter 8 Charting a Way Forward: Navigating the Attention Economy Index About the Editors "The rise of ubiquitous information technology--smartphones, unbridled Internet access, and various applications of these tools--has interacted with the ways we are wired to think, feel, and behave. This book provides a fascinating look at the impact of the Internet and technology through the lens of human capacity. Chapters examine what makes these technologies so addictive; their effect on emotional well-being, memory, learning, and driving; replenishing depleted cognitive reserves; and how to chart a way forward in the attention economy"-- Provided by publisher This book examines the impact of ubiquitous information technology, with discussions about what makes these technologies so addictive, and their effect on emotional well-being, memory, learning, driving, and cognitive reserves.