ATTENTION DEFICIT

A cogent call for alarm over modern social media’s power to distract.

When (according to the National Safety Council) 1 in 4 car crashes is caused by drivers using cellphones, there’s definitely a problem—a “distraction pandemic,” as Kallen puts it—and he marshals studies and expert opinions aplenty to present a picture of how commercial websites and social media have been designed to grab our attention willy-nilly by targeting our brain’s primitive, instinctive, “bottom-up forces.” He does admit to evidence that certain video games can improve memory, problem-solving skills, and even general outlook, but it’s the hazards of interacting with modern tech that are the focus of this title, and Kallen devotes space to discussions of the deleterious effects on brain chemistry and plasticity as well as the fallacy that true multitasking is even possible for most people. He also offers general suggestions for a “digital detox” that can break addictive interactions with electronic devices, backed up in the abundant backmatter with a bulleted list of strategies. A scant assortment of stock photos of small screens and posed phone zombies accompanies this fervent appeal to reason. Will it spur readers to change their ways? Perhaps not…but it may get some few to start thinking about the issue.

Destined for assignment use but with arguments and resources enough to spark some genuine interest in the topic.