Attention Addiction

I was in a Dollar General store and noticed a young woman looking at an item for which she was shopping. Later, we were both in line at the checkout counter. She was at the head of the line, I was behind a lady behind her. I was in a hurry, solely by habit, so when I saw the checkout person was now available, I looked at the front of the line, where the young woman was constantly fixed upon her phone. She was oblivious to her surroundings, including the checkout person waving and calling for her to step up. Eventually, the woman in front of me said to her, “Are you in line?” Nothing happened. Then she reluctantly and nonchalantly looked up from her phone and saw the clerk. The woman went to another clerk and I was behind the young woman. She continued to look at her phone as the clerk processed her item, only responding, when directed by the clerk. She began to leave with her bagged item when the clerk said, “You didn’t finish and signing out of the card reader.” She did so, and was able to leave the store while keeping her gaze on her phone. 

This, I thought is a phone addict. Mark Zuckerberg has ensnared this young woman with his social media trap, such that she lives connected to apps, messages, chats, texts and who knows what else. She is impaired, walking through life, by prompts and direction from others only when absolutely necessary. I thought, “If I was on a jury after seeing this addictive behavior, I would rule for billions in damages.” What price can cure or repair this debilitating impact on society?

It’s just an antidotal instance, but the real damage is far deeper and widespread than seen in public. A generation is in jeopardy of becoming invalids, impaired mentally, and socially. Yes, Covid years may have contributed in-part, but the root problem lies with a CEO and Company that knowingly and intentionally captured and controlled a generation’s attention in a manner that makes smoking tobacco and its health consequences, even cancer, seem minor. It may seem impossible to connect this addiction trap to Zuckerberg’s other destructive political maneuverings involving his contribution of over $400 million to disproportionately and significantly increase democrat votes in key areas. The legalities of these contributions are highly questionable, but the winning regime and its media hegemony successfully prevented any serious investigation into this and other election irregularities. In this life, people can get away with murder, but a real accurate judgement is coming afterwards.