How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy
Books | Art / History / General
Jenny Odell (Multimedia artist)
Nothing is harder to do these days than nothing. But in a world where our value is determined by our data productivity, doing nothing may be our most important form of resistance. So argues artist and critic Jenny Odell in this field guide to slowing down. Odell sees our attention as the most precious -- and overdrawn -- resource we have. Once we can start paying a new kind of attention, we can undertake bolder forms of political action, reimagine humanity's role in the environment, and arrive at a more meaningful understanding of happiness and fulfilment. Far from a simple anti-technology screed, or a pointless back-to-nature meditation, "How to Do Nothing" is an action plan for thinking beyond capitalist narratives of efficiency and value. Provocative, timely and utterly persuasive, it shows us how to preserve our inner lives and bring about change in a world that needs this more than ever
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Author
Jenny Odell (Multimedia artist)
Pages
256
Publisher
Black Incorporated
Published Date
2019-11-05
ISBN
1760641790 9781760641795
Community ReviewsSee all
"I have a love/hate relationship with this book. It's not one I would have picked to read as I do a pretty good job of not spending all my free time scrolling through social media, but my book club selected it and I'm always up for a good self-help book. <br/><br/>This is not a self-help book. I think the first part of the title is incredibly misleading. Odell finally explains that the idea of "doing nothing" relates more to shifting our attention to doing other things, like spending in-person time with friends and family and noticing nature, than doing absolutely nothing. But then why the title?<br/><br/>Ultimately, I felt this book required an inordinate amount of my attention to make a simple suggestion, albeit one that is desperately needed right now -- that of recognizing how much of our attention is consumed by social media and media in general, and how much control over what we see and read we willingly give away to corporations looking for a profit. <br/><br/>All the forays into topics like the communes of the '60s, the rise of unions, and abstract art were interesting but seemed like side roads we had to go down to get this thing to book length. I would have much preferred a long-form essay than an entire book. I'm perplexed at the fanfare this book received, but again, maybe it's because I already spend more time sitting on my back deck listening to and watching birds than I do combing my social media feed."
Krista Schumacher