About attention and mind control for profit
Attention is one of the most valuable things you own. Yet in today’s world, most people are giving it away for free—without realizing the cost.
The chances of me getting your attention to read this blog post are slim. You're competing with the most addictive products in history: designed by some of the smartest minds alive, built with a deep understanding of human psychology, and optimized 24/7 to capture your focus.
These platforms aren’t neutral. They’re engineered to bypass rational decision-making and pull at your emotions—whether through outrage, fear, envy, or instant gratification. And they’re winning.
You know the feeling. You open one app for “just a second,” and an hour disappears. You close it, a little drained, a little foggy, and you’re not even sure what you gained from it.
That’s because these tools aren’t built for your benefit. They’re built to extract attention, which is the new oil. And your time—your most finite resource—is the fuel.
The result? You start spending more time reacting than acting. You consume more than you create. You become emotionally hijacked by content that has no real value to your life.
But you can take it back.
Here’s a simple starting point:
- Be intentional about what you consume
- Use tools that block addictive patterns (like browser extensions that hide feeds)
- Choose boredom over noise—it’s where your own thoughts have space to breathe
You’ll be surprised how much clarity, energy, and creativity you regain when you stop letting algorithms dictate your mind.
This post is a work in progress. But the idea is clear: Your attention is your power. Guard it.
-SLM