Behaviorism at Walden Two : Reading Odell and Skinner

In my essay, I discuss the aspects of “How to Do Nothing” by Jenny Odell as well as Walden Two by B.F Skinner. I found that Odell’s use of Skinner’s book propelled her arguments on the strengths and weaknesses of different types of communes. Walden Two is one where both Odell and I saw it as far too controlling as my essay discusses, and the use of behavioral and social sciences come into play with how a society like this is run. Odell speaks of how Walden Two is a commune that is more on the side of optimistic, but rigid and a less idealistic place, rather than one of disorganization and chaos. An interesting revelation is the fact that the Attention Economy also used behavioral type science to pull people in, in somewhat harmful ways. In my essay I discuss these ideas and others as well.

Link: https://eporette.medium.com/behaviorism-at-walden-two-reading-odell-and-skinner-4e6227a640e9

Writing 11: Overcoming the Distractions of the Attention Economy in the Environment of Remote Learning

Throughout reading “How to Do Nothing”, I couldn’t help but notice the strong emphasis on the impacts the attention economy, more specifically technology and social media, have on us today. Odell uses the idea that we can become so distracted by social media, and have such strong urges to it, that we find ourselves wasting so much time mindlessly using leisurely apps. My essay focuses on this topic and how the current situation of remote learning during this pandemic ties together. Students, such as myself, are finding it much easier to get even more distracted by their phones and other technological devices, that doing work stuck at home is much harder than on campus, where you‘d either have other distractions, or are more compelled to get work done since your life is surrounded by academics. I then try to find a way of how to resist the distractions and urges of this attention economy where students can use methods of digital detox and limits to make remote learning easier and have more time to efficiently use.

One quote that I loved from the book is as follows, “It is the invasive logic of commercial social media, and its financial incentive to keep us in a profitable state of anxiety, envy, and distraction” (Odell xii). Commercial social media is what these companies use to addict users and psychologically cater their apps to get the users to keep coming back for more view time, clicks, and essentially money. This is one of the main reasons why so many people, especially young people who have had access to social media for most of their life, are finding themselves losing time to focus on their priorities of school, and instead are wasting hours each day scrolling through feeds. I hope to try and inform my readers about these harms and how we as students today can use methods such as parental controls, limit/schedule setting, and simply self-control from certain apps and devices at times to escape the distractions the attention economy has made on us.

Using the Attention Economy

Jenny Odell has been telling us through her book that she is all for the idea of “doing nothing” and against the idea of the attention economy and what it stands for. When Odell tells us to do nothing she means to do nothing to help or forward the goals of companies who make a profit off of people’s attention. However, she herself is guilty of profiting off of people’s attention. She needs to in order to make a living as an artist and writer, so what makes her different from the attention economy she is trying so hard to resist? Is it because she is not a big company? Or is it because she simply has not thought of the possibility that she has become what she has been trying so hard to resist. I highly doubt that a writer such as Odell would be oblivious to the fact that she uses similar techniques to that of the attention economy, so why does she do this on purpose?

Some of the most successful businesses in the world are successful mostly because of how they use the attention economy. No matter what the business is or how it was started it relies on the attention of other people in order to grow and thrive. If a business is created and they have the most amazing product in the world, but the business has no attention from consumers, then said business will not make a profit. On the other hand, if there is a business that has a mediocre product, but they know how to grab people’s attention and place ads and billboards in strategic spots, then they will end up with a much greater profit. This is just how the world works and will continue to work until people come up with a better, more efficient way of making money. 

The attention economy honestly is not all that bad. Although I find it creepy sometimes when I just get out of a conversation with someone about any type of topic and not five minutes later I see an ad for a related product on my phone, but overall it is very useful. I am one of those people who are not sure if they need or want anything until they see it, so for me the attention economy helps to bring my attention to things that I subconsciously like, want, or need. I disagree with Odell when she says that the attention economy steals people’s attention away from “non-productive” things and brings their attention to things that are deemed more “useful” by the attention economy. I think the attention economy has the ability to refocus someone’s attention towards something that could benefit them in the long run, but I do not think that it steals their attention away and makes them unable to focus on what they want.

I truly believe that the attention economy can be used as a tool of productivity no matter what you are trying to accomplish. I know that Odell wants us to disconnect from the reality of our world and realise that we do not need the attention economy to thrive and I agree with her on that, but to say that you should resist it all together in order to be productive is a bit extreme. The attention economy is a tool, a tool that works to show you things that you are interested in. Yes it tries to get you to buy these products, but it is your choice whether you buy the products or not. If your goal is to start a business, the attention economy can help you by either showing you similar things that have been done by other people, or by giving your business an audience so it has the ability to grow. If you are looking for inspiration on something, the attention economy can bring your attention to something that could help you out and possibly give you an idea.

I know that I am talking about the attention economy as if it is some kind of app that you can control on your phone, but the way I see it, it can be. Just because it was made for the sole purpose of capitalizing on people’s attention, does not mean that you can not profit from it just as much as big companies do. Odell makes it seem like the average person is the victim of the attention economy, when in fact they have the ability to profit from it, just like she does.

Writing 2: Defining Odell’s Project. Andrew Coffin

Jenny Odell introduces herself as an artist and a writer. Simply googling her name will lead you to her website where she displays many of her works. We focus on her book How to Do Nothing and straight away explore Odell’s thoughts. But this writing is not chaotic and distracted like many first-time readers might see. Odell’s project focuses on presenting her personal experience and interactions to allow readers to see the world again, renewed and does so by revealing how real situations can be perceived differently.

Odell also wants readers to find distractions from everyday life that allow for thinking and processing of meaningful topics. Literally the first page of the introduction, Odell explains that readers “still recognize that much of what gives one’s life meaning stems from accidents, interruptions, and serendipitous encounters: the ‘off time’ that a mechanistic view of experience seeks to eliminate,” showing off to readers that this book will be challenging the thoughts that are not often questioned(ix). This idea that readers already know what gives life meaning also questions why Odell would write this book. Readers become intrigued that somehow, they already know an idea but, with Odell’s help, can explore the idea further. And throughout the introduction and first chapter, readers will be reminded that life’s meaning is right in front of them.

Odell want readers to truly see the world. Often, readers today are distracted by their phones and laptops by social media and other recent inventions. Odell reflects on how she grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, saying that the area “is known for two things: technology companies and the natural splendor” and leads to how she explored both worlds(xiii). This variety of worlds in her vicinity growing up allowed Odell to experience “a lot of time inside … But on other days my family would go for long hikes,” giving readers the first taste of how they should distract themselves and explore(xiii). These introduction pages of How to Do Nothing only begin to explain Odell’s passion for opening readers to the idea of

A majority of How to Do Nothing is responding toOdell’s experiences. From when she learned about the Redwood trees, to finding herself in the middle of a garden, Odell fills her writing with experience. One that stands out is when Odell mentions her father. It turns out that Odell’s father had his own period that revolved around him exploring his surroundings. “[Odell’s father] read a lot, rode his bike, studied math and electronics, went fishing, had long chats with his friend and roommate, and sat in the hills, where he taught himself the flute,” all of which were meant to show readers how drastic Odell’s father went after quitting his job(10). Odell ties in her father’s story by explaining that his experience was like her own and allowed him to understand “that a lot of his anger … had more to do with him that he realized” and finally understood that if he spend more time figuring out what he needed, he would have been happier.

Odell finds that she is drawn to natural places, like exploring the Morcom Amphitheatre of Roses in Oakland, California and reading about the history of locations like the Old Survivor in the East Bay Hills. Odell also enjoys focusing on groups who support benefiting or affecting individuals, like the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions and the volunteers at the Rose Garden.

After extending the description of those examples, Odell connects them to her ideas and goals of her writing. For Odell, these places and ideas “[encompass] everything I wanted to cover: the practice of doing nothing, the architecture of doing nothing, the importance of public space, and an ethics of care and maintenance”(3). While Odell’s book might seem like a stream of consciousness, after readers examine the ideas Odell has put forth, the goal is obvious.

Before we even finish Odell’s How to Do Nothing, readers have been on a roller coaster. Odell’s presents stories and vivid imagery that allows readers to see just how Odell views her surroundings. And Odell does not just leave readers with images, she provides ideas for readers to think and discuss with themselves.  Obviously, Odell has given many hours productively preparing this writing project. However, I believe that Odell is not a hypocrite. I am sure that for as much time that Odell spent working and stressing, she spent that same amount of time processing, exploring, and allowing herself to view places and things that were always there but that she never truly saw.

Writing 2- Odell’s Project Tyler Meyer

Every moment of every day is now being recorded and captured in one form of another. From tweeting what you ate for dinner to liking your friend’s birthday post on Facebook, it is hard to be caught up in the moment of what everyone else is doing and lose sight of the things around you. In her New York Times bestseller How to Do Nothing, Jenny Odell helps her readers do just the opposite. Odell’s project is essentially what the title of her book states; moreover, the project/main motive is to make the reader take a few steps back away from the technologically advanced society that we live in today.

Social media platforms such as Tiktok, Instagram, Facebook and many more are interested in capitalizing on our attention and curiosity. These sites drive to form the “for you” page around content that acts as candy keeping us addicted and attached to it. Realizing the motives of this attention seeking economy, Odell strives to alter the perspective of her readers and essentially pull them out of this surreal or imaginary world that we may find ourselves in when the real outside world is just around us. 

From stories about the “Old Survivor” or her “Deep Listening” in the Rose Garden, Odell describes her project in detail in order for her audience to get a grasp over the conditions that are blocking their brains’ from seeing the real world for its true image. By doing this, Odell puts herself into her reader’s shows and describes a process that makes the big picture into a much smaller and simpler picture. For example, one may see the Old Survivor as a regular old tree, that serves no purpose for the industrial world with its unfit characteristics to be suitable for paper or wooden beams, it still holds a history that lives through many generations. Additionally, Odell enforces her belief of the importance of taking a step back to look at something in a new perspective by using excerpts from different passages in her book, one being from Gille Deleuze’s Negotiations. By doing this, Odell sets the foundation for the need to stop everything that’s happening and to essentially think before you speak. It’s that thinking and thoughts sparking from other thoughts that enable a person to be able to think for themselves instead of going off the last Instagram post that they saw a second before. 

Furthermore, Odell sets another point that just taking some time for oneself and going out into the real world allows you to find your inner values and be more content with life as a whole. The story that Odell uses to explain this to her audience deals with when her father was working as a technician. He took 2 years off to simply relax and be one with nature after his growing stress. From bike riding to fishing and reading books, all of these stress coping techniques allow someone to deep think. The main point Odell strives to make certain is that it’s crucial to get outside and see the world for what it really is instead of looking at it through a screen; or in Odell’s father’s case, he had overloaded himself with work. However, by taking time to find his inner self, her father was able to switch his career and become an engineer. 

Nonetheless, to be in a society where we have a 4G network, soon to be 5G, so many images and texts and videos go past our eyes everyday that it becomes difficult to stop as the screen essentially becomes eye candy. To be living in an attention economy where social media  platform creators prey on the general public to make a profit, it becomes nearly impossible to make someone willingly put the phone down without being told about its consequences. 

Ultimately, Odell uses past events and stories to help her audience understand the importance of setting time aside to just sit in the park or listen to the birds chirp without feeling the need to look at their phone while notifications vibrate in their pocket. Therefore allowing one to see the real world for what it truly is.

Disconnecting from the Attention Economy

Jenny Odell’s main idea in her book, “How to Do Nothing” is to remind us that we do not need the attention economy in order to be productive or successful like social media or ads would have us believe. Before reading this book I was not sure exactly what the attention economy was, but after looking it up and realizing that my attention was an actual commodity that was being manipulated and sold/bought by other people, I began to understand Odell’s project a bit better. 

I believe that her overall project is that she wants people to think and act on their own without being controlled by the attention economy. She really wants us to realize that doing nothing can be, in fact, doing more than when we are doing something that the attention economy deems useful or necessary. Odell even tells us in the book that she feels it is, “an activist book disguised as a self help book.” This further makes me believe that her aim, or her project in, “How to Do Nothing” is to rally people together and “do nothing” to, “help people find ways of connecting that are substantive, sustaining, and absolutely unprofitable to corporations”. 

Jenny Odell does a careful job informing us on how she feels about the attention economy without acting too much like the said attention economy herself. She simply tries to bring your attention back to where it would have been if there was no attention economy around. Odell wants us to, “disengage from the attention economy” and to, “re engage with something else.”

Social media plays a big part in the attention economy without people realizing it. According to platforms such as snapchat and instagram, we cannot be as successful as we want unless we are doing exactly what the influencers on those platforms are doing. Everyday when I look on instagram and snapchat I see many stories about how people became successful and are living their life in luxury because of something they did. 

Companies take advantage of the fact that everyone wants to live an extravagant life where money is no issue and they steal your attention away to focus you on something “useful”.  Odell’s project tries to make us realize that you don’t need to do what is deemed “useful” in order to actually be useful. She has an amazing example of this in her book when she talks about the useless tree story. The part of the story I am referring to is this, “The tree points out to him that fruit trees and timber trees are regularly ravaged. Meanwhile, uselessness has been this tree’s strategy: ‘This is of great use to me. If I had been of some use, would I have ever grown this large?’” Breaking away from the attention economy may seem similar to doing nothing or being “useless” to the people running it, but in fact this doing nothing is where creative, new, useful ideas come from.

By disconnecting from our connected world, we allow ourselves to think on our own instead of the attention economy directing our attention somewhere it thinks is “useful” or essential to life. Just because we are not thinking how everyone else wants us to think, does not mean we are doing something wrong. It just means that we are able to tear ourselves away from the addictive attention economy that now drives our country’s economics and possibly be creative in a way that could change the world for the better. 

I can tell that Jenny Odell is against organizations who profit off of people’s attention not only because she has explicitly stated so in the book, but also because she herself seems to be a naturally creative person. The perspective she has as an artist as well as a writer really explains her stand on the attention economy. Her entire livelihood is based off of the ideas that come into her head and the creative input that she gathers from the texts of others. According to Odell, the attention economy stunts the creativity of others and does not allow people to get in touch with who they truly are. Instead of the attention economy making people believe that the thoughts and ideas they have are useful, it gives them a false standard to look at and makes them believe that in order to be as successful as others they have to abandon their “useless” ideas and in turn adopt the useful ideas that are being presented to them. 

Discovering the Attention Economy

When I opened this book and read what Odell was saying I had to pause and first figure out, what is the attention economy? After some research on the internet I found that the attention economy is something that I am so used to, I didn’t even realize it was there. When I see an ad on Instagram for something based on a picture I just liked, that is the attention economy. The ad that plays before every Youtube video is the attention economy. The internet is monopolized by three companies: Google, Apple, and Facebook. But Google, Apple and Facebook don’t care about you as a person; they care about their revenue. This means they care about holding your attention. Their ultimate aim is to keep you scrolling and searching, using their products over competitors. Odell’s project is “a guide to doing nothing as an act of political resistance to the attention economy.”

Odell believes very strongly in the immoral monopoly that is social media. She also is very anti-capitalism. She believes that these two things are draining the life out of us. She uses a quote from Seneca that reads, “Look back in memory and consider… how many have robbed you of life when you were not aware of what you were losing, how much was taken up in useless sorrow, in foolish joy, in greedy desire, in the allurement of society, how little of yourself was left to you; you will perceive that you are dying before your season!” She connected this to not only spending your day on facebook, but also connected it to our society and how in a time where intelligent conversations are key, we find ourselves unable to achieve those crucial in-person conversations. 

Odell’s purpose is to fight this way of life. How does she want us to fight? By doing nothing. Now doing nothing is not like it seems. She describes her “nothing” as a plan of action. In the introduction she says, “ The point of doing nothing, as I define it, isn’t to return to work refreshed and ready to be more productive, but rather to question what we currently perceive as productive.” To me, she is trying to get her readers to look at life through a different lens. We are so comfortable with the life we live we never stop to question it. We let social media control our lives for what reason? To conform to society. Odell believes that the world we live in now due to the culture of Trump is “impatient with anything nuanced, poetic, or less-than-obvious” and social media is a big contributor to that. Individuality is frowned upon. The more you are like everyone else, the more people like you. The more people like you, the more followers you have on social media.  

Odell uses personal stories to try to get us to understand where she is coming from. She tells us personal stories and then connects them to her beliefs. She tells us a detailed story about a tree called “Old Survivor” that she connects to resistance and being rooted to your true self, which are both linked to her doing nothing philosophy. 

Throughout the first chapter she also talks about a rose garden. The part about the rose garden that really impacted me was when she was in the middle of this beautiful space, surrounded by every color, sight, and smell. In this moment she said, “I look down at my phone and wonder if it isn’t its own kind of sensory-deprivation chamber. That tiny, glowing world of metrics can not compare to this one, which speaks to me instead in breezes, light, and shadow, and the unruly, indescribable, detail of the real.” Growing up in the age of technology, this hit very deep. This makes me think of the concerts I’ve been to where every single person has their phone up instead of living in the moment. The time spent with friends and family, not enjoying eachothers company, but sitting on our phones. Everyone can relate to this which is what makes it so powerful. This connects to her belief in the evil in technology and makes you think of instances that technology has plagued your life. 

Odell’s project is to break us out of the society we are so used to. She wants us to realize we are trapped in this attention economy. She wants us to realize the negative effects social media and capitalism have on our lives. She wants us to start doing something about this, by doing nothing. On page 22, she describes doing nothing as almost a “deprogramming device”. While she gave us some overall themes of what “doing nothing” will entail, we will have to keep reading to really understand how she expects us to make this change. It could be things as little as to not look at the ads on our phones, to delete social media, or even as drastic as throwing our whole phone away to stay away from the toxicity of the attention economy and social media. While I’m hesitant to make that change, I am oddly excited to see what she has to say because the points she brings up really have me thinking.