Why We Need to Stop Fighting Distraction and Start Using It

The Attention Economy in the Classroom

That gentle chime from somewhere in the back of the classroom. I watched as twenty-eight heads turned like sunflowers following the sun. In moments like this, teachers are reminded that they are competing with an entire economy built on capturing and monetizing human focus. I find myself reflecting on how moments like this which has only probably gotten worse. I cannot imagine how teacher are facing this fundamental challenge facing education: we're trying to teach students in an environment where their attention has become the most valuable commodity in the global economy.

The concept of the "attention economy" isn't new, but its implications for education are only beginning to be understood. Economist Kyla Scanlon recently observed, attention has become a form of infrastructure—a foundational input that's as essential to modern economic activity as land, labor, or capital once were. In this new economy, our students aren't just learners; they're the primary resource being harvested by some of the most sophisticated behavioral engineering systems ever created.

This shift has profound implications for how we think about teaching, learning, and the very purpose of education. When I transitioned from the classroom to the startup world, I expected to leave behind the challenges of student engagement and classroom management. Instead, I discovered that the same forces fragmenting attention in schools are reshaping how we work, think, and relate to information across all aspects of society.

The question isn't whether technology is good or bad for education—that debate misses the point entirely. The question is how we can design experiences that help students develop the cognitive skills they need to thrive in an attention economy while also preserving their capacity for deep thinking, sustained focus, and meaningful learning. This isn't just about classroom management or educational technology; it's about preparing students for a world where their ability to control their own attention may be the most important skill they can develop.

When Focus Becomes Currency

To understand how the attention economy affects education, we first need to grasp how fundamentally it has altered the landscape of information and engagement. The attention economy operates on a simple but powerful premise: in a world of information abundance, human attention becomes the scarce resource that determines value.

As researcher William Meller explains, "Attention economics is an economic theory that treats human attention as a scarce commodity and applies economic principles to manage it." This isn't merely an academic concept—it's the business model that drives platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube that compete for our focus every day.

The mechanics of this economy are both elegant and insidious. Digital platforms use sophisticated algorithms to analyze user behavior, identifying exactly what content, timing, and presentation methods are most likely to capture and hold attention. They then optimize their systems to maximize what they call "engagement"—a euphemism for the amount of time and mental energy users spend on their platforms.

The Infrastructure of Attention

Scanlon's insight that attention has become "infrastructure" is particularly relevant for teachers. Just as previous economic eras were built on physical infrastructure like railroads and highways, our current economy increasingly depends on the infrastructure of human attention. Social media platforms, streaming services, news websites, and even educational technology companies are all competing to build the most efficient systems for capturing and directing this precious resource.

This competition has created what we might call an "attention arms race," where platforms continuously refine their ability to trigger what behavioral psychologists call "variable ratio reinforcement," the same psychological mechanism that makes gambling addictive. The result is a generation of students whose brains have been trained to expect constant stimulation, immediate feedback, and rapid content switching.

The Friction Paradox

One of the most insightful concepts from recent research on attention economics is the idea of "friction," the small obstacles and delays that naturally occur in physical world interactions. As Scanlon notes, "there is value in things being a tiny bit difficult." Digital platforms have systematically eliminated friction from user experiences, making it effortless to consume content, switch between applications, and access information.

While this frictionless design feels convenient, it has unintended consequences for learning and cognitive development. The small delays and obstacles that once characterized information gathering—walking to a library, searching through card catalogs (wayyy back when), reading entire articles to find specific information—weren't just inefficiencies to be eliminated. They were opportunities for reflection, synthesis, and deep processing that are essential for meaningful learning.

I observed this friction paradox firsthand while teaching. Students could instantly access any chemical equation or molecular structure through their phones, but they struggled to understand the underlying principles that connected these facts. They had unprecedented access to information but diminished capacity for the kind of sustained thinking that transforms information into knowledge. Ask any teacher that has been teaching for 20 years to validate this: the curriculum today is easier than 20 years ago.

The Hypnotic Quality of Digital Engagement

Perhaps most concerning for teachers is what Scanlon describes as technology's "hypnotic" quality. This isn't hyperbole—neuroscience research has shown that digital platforms trigger dopamine responses in ways that can override conscious decision-making. Students aren't choosing to be distracted; they're responding to systems that have been engineered to bypass their conscious control.

This hypnotic quality explains why traditional classroom management strategies often fail when competing with digital devices. It's not enough to ask students to "pay attention" when their brains have been conditioned to respond to stimuli that are specifically designed to be more compelling than anything a teacher can offer through conventional instruction.

How Attention Economics Reshapes Learning

The impact of the attention economy on classroom learning extends far beyond simple distraction. We're witnessing a fundamental alteration in how students process information, engage with complex ideas, and develop the cognitive skills that education has traditionally aimed to foster.

The Attention Span Crisis

Research consistently shows that social media consumption is directly linked to decreased attention spans among students. Platforms like TikTok use algorithms that condition brains to crave quick bursts of content, effectively rewiring neural pathways to expect rapid content switching rather than sustained focus. This isn't just about students being "easily distracted"—it's about fundamental changes in how their brains process information.

The Multitasking Myth

Perhaps no aspect of the attention economy has been more damaging to education than the myth of productive multitasking. Research from Stanford's School of Humanities & Sciences demonstrates that "heavy media multitaskers are significantly underperforming on tasks of attention and memory." Yet many students—and even some educators—continue to believe that they can effectively learn while simultaneously engaging with multiple digital streams.

This belief creates a particular problem in educational settings. Students often think they're learning effectively while taking notes on laptops that also display social media notifications, text messages, and other digital distractions. They experience the feeling of being busy and engaged without realizing that their actual learning is severely compromised.

The Instant Gratification Trap

The attention economy promotes what researchers call "a culture of instant gratification, where students expect quick rewards and immediate feedback." In chemistry class, this tension is particularly pronounced. Understanding molecular interactions or chemical equilibrium requires building complex mental models over time. Students need to hold multiple concepts in working memory while gradually constructing deeper understanding. This process is inherently slow and often involves periods of confusion and uncertainty before clarity emerges.

However, students conditioned by the attention economy often interpret this natural learning process as evidence that they're "bad at" the subject or that the teaching is ineffective. They expect the immediate comprehension and constant stimulation that digital platforms provide, making them less tolerant of the cognitive discomfort that accompanies genuine learning.

The Social Dimension of Attention

One of the most subtle but significant impacts of the attention economy on education involves changes in social learning dynamics. Traditional classroom discussions, collaborative problem-solving, and peer-to-peer learning all depend on students' ability to maintain shared focus on common topics for extended periods.

The attention economy undermines these social learning processes by training students to expect personalized, algorithm-driven content streams rather than shared experiences. Students become accustomed to information that's specifically tailored to their individual interests and preferences, making them less patient with content that's designed for group consumption.

This shift has profound implications for classroom culture. The shared attention that enables productive class discussions, collaborative projects, and peer learning becomes increasingly difficult to achieve when students' default mode is individualized, personalized content consumption.

The Depth vs. Breadth Dilemma

The attention economy strongly favors breadth over depth, encouraging rapid sampling of diverse content rather than sustained engagement with complex ideas. This preference directly conflicts with educational goals that require deep understanding, critical analysis, and synthesis of complex information.

Students across disciplines report difficulty with reading assignments that require sustained attention, complex writing projects that demand extended focus, and analytical tasks that can't be completed through quick information searches. The cognitive skills that the attention economy rewards—rapid switching, quick pattern recognition, immediate response—are often antithetical to the skills that deep learning requires.

Strategies for Attention-Conscious Education

Recognizing the challenges posed by the attention economy is only the first step. The more important question for educators is how we can design learning experiences that work with and against these forces to promote genuine learning and cognitive development.

Designing Productive Friction

One of the most powerful strategies I discovered during my teaching career was the intentional reintroduction of what Scanlon calls "friction" into learning processes. Rather than trying to make everything as easy and immediate as possible, we can strategically design small obstacles and delays that promote deeper thinking and better retention.

For example, instead of allowing students to immediately Google chemical formulas during problem-solving sessions, I began implementing "friction periods" where students had to work from memory and reasoning for the first ten minutes of class. This small delay forced them to engage more deeply with the underlying concepts rather than relying on external information sources. POGILs (Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning) are good at this.

Similarly, I started requiring students to handwrite initial drafts of short answers before typing final versions. This seemingly inefficient process actually improved both their thinking and their writing, as the physical friction of handwriting slowed down their thought processes enough to enable more careful consideration of their ideas.

The key insight is that not all friction is bad. The friction that comes from struggling with difficult concepts, working through complex problems without immediate answers, and engaging in sustained thinking about challenging topics is precisely the kind of cognitive exercise that builds intellectual strength and resilience.

Creating Attention Sanctuaries

Recent research has highlighted the importance of what scholars call "attention sanctuaries"—spaces and times that are specifically designed to support sustained focus and deep thinking. In education, this means creating classroom environments that actively counteract the attention economy's influence.

This goes beyond simply banning phones or blocking websites. True attention sanctuaries require thoughtful design of physical spaces, temporal structures, and social norms that support sustained attention. In my classroom, I experimented with several approaches:

Temporal Rhythms

Rather than trying to maintain constant high energy throughout class periods, I developed rhythms that alternated between focused work periods and brief, intentional breaks. This approach acknowledged students' conditioned need for variety while still requiring sustained attention during work periods.

Teaching Metacognitive Awareness

One of the most effective interventions I implemented was explicit instruction in metacognition—helping students become aware of their own thinking processes and attention patterns. We discussed the difference between "consuming" information and "learning" from it. Many students had never considered that reading, watching, or listening to educational content wasn't the same as learning from it. By making these distinctions explicit, students began to develop more sophisticated approaches to their own learning processes.

Leveraging Technology Strategically

Rather than viewing technology as inherently problematic, effective attention-conscious education involves using digital tools in ways that support rather than undermine sustained focus and deep learning. This might involve using apps that block distracting websites during focused work periods, employing digital tools that require sustained engagement rather than rapid switching, or using technology to create collaborative learning experiences that depend on shared attention rather than individual consumption.

Building Attention Stamina

Just as physical fitness requires gradually increasing exercise intensity and duration, attention fitness requires systematic practice with increasingly demanding cognitive tasks. I began designing lesson sequences that gradually increased the attention demands on students, helping them build what we might call "attention stamina."

This involved starting with shorter focused work periods and gradually extending them, introducing increasingly complex problems that required sustained thinking, and providing explicit feedback about attention and focus rather than just content mastery.

Preparing Students for an Attention-Driven World

My transition from education to startup has given me a unique perspective on how the attention economy affects not just our schools, but the entire landscape of work. The skills that students need to succeed in this environment extend far beyond traditional academic competencies.

I've observed how the same forces that fragment student attention in classrooms are reshaping professional environments. Meetings are interrupted by notifications, deep work is constantly disrupted by communication platforms like Slack, and the ability to maintain sustained focus on complex problems has become a rare and valuable skill.

The people who thrive in this environment aren't necessarily those with the most technical knowledge or the highest test scores. They're the individuals who have developed sophisticated attention management skills—the ability to focus deeply when necessary, to filter relevant information from noise, and to resist the constant pull of digital distractions.

Perhaps the most important skill we can teach students is the ability to think critically about information sources and to resist the algorithmic curation that characterizes much of their digital experience. The attention economy doesn't just compete for student focus—it also shapes what information they encounter and how they interpret it. Students need to understand how algorithms work, how their personal data is used to customize their information streams, and how to actively seek out diverse perspectives and challenging ideas. This isn't just about media literacy—it's about developing the intellectual independence necessary to think critically in an environment designed to influence their thoughts and behaviors.

Developing Attention Resilience

Perhaps most importantly, students need to develop what we might call "attention resilience"—the ability to maintain focus and cognitive clarity even in environments designed to fragment their attention. This isn't about avoiding technology or returning to pre-digital ways of learning and working. It's about developing the skills necessary to use technology intentionally rather than being used by it.

This resilience includes the ability to recognize when their attention is being manipulated, to make conscious choices about when and how to engage with digital platforms, and to create personal systems and environments that support their learning and work goals rather than undermining them.

Students who develop these skills will have significant advantages in any field they choose to pursue. They'll be able to learn more effectively, think more clearly, and contribute more meaningfully to collaborative efforts. They'll also be better equipped to maintain their mental health and personal well-being in an environment that can be overwhelming and exhausting for those who lack attention management skills.

Reclaiming Agency in the Attention Economy

As I reflect, I'm struck by how the challenges I encountered in my classroom were actually early indicators of broader societal shifts that now affect every aspect of our personal and professional lives. The attention economy isn't just changing how students learn—it's reshaping how we all think, work, and relate to information.

The students I taught are now entering college and the workforce, carrying with them both the challenges and the opportunities that come from growing up in an attention-driven world. Those who learned to manage their attention effectively have significant advantages, while those who remained passive consumers of algorithmic content struggle with the sustained focus that higher education and meaningful work require.

This reality places a profound responsibility on teachers, but it also presents an unprecedented opportunity. We have the chance to help students develop skills that will serve them throughout their lives—not just the ability to recall information or perform academic tasks, but the capacity to think deeply, focus intentionally, and maintain intellectual autonomy in an environment designed to influence their thoughts and behaviors.

The attention economy will continue to evolve, and new technologies will create new challenges for teachers and students alike. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other emerging technologies will likely make the competition for human attention even more sophisticated and intense. But the fundamental principles remain the same: students need to understand how their attention works, how it can be influenced, and how to maintain conscious control over their own cognitive processes.

The stakes couldn't be higher. The challenges facing our world—from climate change to social inequality to technological disruption—require the kind of sustained, collaborative thinking that the attention economy tends to undermine. If we can help students develop strong attention management skills, we're not just improving their academic performance—we're preparing them to contribute to solutions for some of the most pressing problems of our time.

The attention economy may have changed the rules of engagement, but it hasn't changed the fundamental human capacity for learning, growth, and intellectual development. By understanding these new rules and teaching students to navigate them effectively, we can ensure that education continues to serve its most important purpose: developing thoughtful, capable, and engaged citizens who can contribute meaningfully to their communities and to the world.

The classroom may be under siege from the attention economy, but it's far from defeated. With intentional design, thoughtful pedagogy, and explicit attention to attention itself, we can create learning environments that not only compete with digital distractions but actually help students develop the cognitive skills they need to succeed in an attention-driven world. That's not just good teaching—it's essential preparation for the future.