The Attention Economy and the 2020 Presidential Race

Ever since Donald Trump was elected to be president in 2016, millions of Americans have been waiting for the opportunity to vote him out of office. With the media coverage of the presidential election and the polarity both the candidates and media have caused, it is almost impossible to disconnect from the new market of information and opinions the election has created. The behavior displayed in the first Presidential Debate between Trump and Biden pushed the American public over the edge into paralyzing anxiety about the upcoming election. The ideas that Jenny Odell explores in her novel How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy can help regain some peace of mind and the initiation of independent thoughts, but they can also lead to being dangerously uninformed about the candidates and their plans for the future.

After all of the scandals, rumors of corruption and collusion with Russia, Americans are either more than eager to vote out Trump and his administration or will do anything to keep him in power. American society today is so polarized that the news media, a supposedly unbiased media, has become a place of verbal altercations and distortion of facts which makes it so difficult for the nation to form an opinion based on both facts and being able to have a peaceful discourse with opinions differing from their own. An instance of this forceful opposition was the first Presidential Debate which took place on September 29th. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, and Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, were supposed to have a civil debate to inform the public of their stances on certain issues such as the civil unrest, the Covid-19 crisis, and climate change. Instead, this debate turned into a cat fight worthy of two feuding middle schoolers. Many Americans had to turn away, put their televisions on mute, or simply walk away to make sense of this utter chaos. Amidst an avalanche of information about both sides’ campaign, this ‘debate’ became a tipping point with even the New York Times saying “the two major party nominees expressed a level of acrid contempt for each other unheard-of in modern American politics.” (cite). Americans have become exhausted from constantly hearing malicious news stories such as Sean Hannity “mock[ing] ‘frail, weak’ Joe Biden’s fundraiser with Tom Hanks” (cite), and seeing negative report after report which is a prominent reason why political and social justice burnout have become a common occurrence.

In Odell’s How to Do Nothing, she discusses how modern society is completely dependent on technology and productivity and that our disconnection from the fast-paced, results-oriented world is a “necessary survival tactic” (Odell 4). The way that most Americans receive their news is through forms of social media like Twitter and Facebook and with so many news outlets vying for attention and subscriptions, we have become exhausted with the attention economy that has thrived on the spectacle of this election. When Odell cited Epicurean society, where people were encouraged to live a simple life and avoid societal constraints such as class and wealth, she mentioned that it was a “space that functioned both as an escape and a curative for people who visited” (Odell 35). This idea of an Epicurean society and the communes that have been loosely based in his ideals can be extremely beneficial to the American citizens during this hectic time. Taking a break from continuous rumors and reports pouring out of every screen and taking the time to practice mindfulness and independence helps to ground yourself and keep a relatively good mental state amidst this confusing and overwhelming election process. Odell’s escapism can be beneficial to Americans because not only is the constant flow of information addicting, but it is crippling. Whenever we find ourselves without access to the internet and news sources, we automatically panic and feel as if the world has stopped just because we have become disconnected from the attention economy and no longer have a parasitic entity stealing our thoughts. Disconnecting, by just turning away from phones, laptops, or tablets, can help us to regain focus on the physical and what really matters in our lives. As Odell points out, when she accidentally detoxed: “With newfound peace of mind, I worked on my project unperturbed by the information and interruptions that would have otherwise lit up that tiny screen every few minutes.” (Odell 31). We will ultimately become better people if we take the time to detox from regularly seeing and hearing about the evils in the world and of our President. Being present in the world can help us to return to our morals and focus on what is beneficial for you and those around you, making you more mindful and cautious of how your actions can affect others. If this ideology is adopted widely, it may be able to create better leaders and help the country in the right direction.

However, if we let ourselves become too ingrained in Odell’s beliefs that detoxing and escapism is the best way to steady ourselves during Decision 2020, it can lead to a rapid spread of opinions based on poor education and misinformation. Your mental state may be spared by the lack of news outlets flaming the fire of feuding nominees, but ultimately the uninformed decision made about who to vote for, or if to vote at all, will cause serious damage to the United States as a whole. Recognizing that the Epicurean belief to live a life free from societal constraints can be detrimental to the morality and success of a society at large because being free from myths and superstitions means being free from ideas like “racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, climate change denial, and other fears with no basis in reality.” (Odell 62). This means that we cannot realize the basis for lots of the issues that plague today’s political discussions, but if we do not recognize these bigoted ideals, we are perpetuating the ignorant behavior and language driven by the current President. Along with the need to stay informed and connected through social media, it can be beneficial for us to remain in this attention economy. Social media, as much as it can be a disservice to the mental stability of all Americans with its constant flow of scandals and lies, it can also greatly help to connect those around the country and inject some humor and feelings of community into the users’ lives through political memes, suggested followings, and ways to contact one another, which have all become very important this election season. In order to stay informed and also balanced and stable, Americans should try to still read the news and watch any official events such as debates and inaugurations, but should also take time to pay attention to what really matters, and by shifting our allotment of attention from the rat race to the physical, we can “form the ground not just for love, but for ethics” (Odell 154).

In order to find a good balance between Odell’s extreme of taking a permanent hiatus from using social media and giving into this new attention economy that is 2020 Presidential Race and constantly exposing ourselves to the harmful effects of all of the negative press stories, we must view media outlets in moderation but also use critical thinking and mindfulness to both combat misinformation campaigns but also preserve our mental wellbeing. We must practice civil disobedience in relation to the attention economy of this year’s presidential race. Not just the quitting of social media and calls to action for the masses to do so as well, but the reinvestment of attention away from those social media sites and news outlets making profits off of the panic and confusion of Americans driven by the unending flow of deceit and hearsay. Using mindfulness and critical thinking to “pause for consideration when clickbait would have us click…” (Odell 93) and occupying what Odell calls “the third space” because refusal of attention from these provocative thumbnails and headlines allows us to rewire the priorities of Americans both in everyday life and what we are searching for in a leader. This occupation of Odell’s third space, while still keeping informed on the issues plaguing the United States, “forms the basis for collective attention and thus for meaningful refusal of…” (Odell 93) gaslighters, white supremacists, and predators and promotes a society where social justice reform and human rights are thrust to the forefront of politics.

In Jenny Odell’s How to Do Nothing, she preaches escapism as a way to deal with the pressures of a fast-paced and overwhelming society. Her ideals can only be applied moderately, lest the American population become ignorant of the facts and fall prey to misinformation. Instead, Americans should use critical thinking and reallot attention from deceptive news stories and bitter fights between partisan sides to truth campaigns and social justice fights in order to maintain sanity and happiness in this polarized time. In order to maintain this sanity and refocus our attention, we can take small steps to break users’ attention from social media and news outlets and focus on more physical priorities such as just simply being a better human to family, friends, and neighbors. These small steps are what we can take to debrief from the hectic and chaotic world that this election is causing.

Works Cited

Martin, Jonathan, and Alexander Burns. “With Cross Talk, Lies and Mockery, Trump Tramples Decorum in Debate With Biden.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 30 Sept. 2020, www.nytimes.com/2020/09/29/us/politics/trump-biden-debate.html.

ODELL, JENNY. HOW TO DO NOTHING: Resisting the Attention Economy. MELVILLE House, 2020.

Patten, Dominic. “Sean Hannity & Tucker Carlson Attack ‘Frail, Weak’ Joe Biden, Michelle Obama & ‘Infomerical’ Democratic Convention; Fox News’ Coverage Token In 1st Hour Of Night 2.” Deadline, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2020, deadline.com/2020/08/sean-hannity-tucker-carlson-fox-news-democratic-convention-night-2-joe-biden-michelle-obama-1203017208/.