Welcome to Litsy!

Loved this last year so chose it for my book group pick this year: our discussion tonight was interesting and fruitful, although not everybody loved it. It was good to have an artist in the group. Good insights about how dedication to community is part of resisting the attention economy, the value and challenge of attentiveness, and our own relationships with social media, and how they vary with younger age groups.

To stand apart means giving yourself the critical break that media cycles and narratives will not, allowing yourself to believe in another world while living in this one. It is a perfect image of this world when justice has been realized with and for everyone and everything that is already here. To stand apart is to look at the world (now) as it could be (the future), with all of the hope and sorrowful contemplation that this entails.

An interesting and meandering narrative surrounding the pervasive need to be constantly, and shallowly, connected and productive.

Lowkey kinda hard to follow over the course of the book at times. Enjoyed the thought trains she follows and overall concepts. Also references endless interesting sources and art pieces. At times felt like I was in an art theory class in college. Makes me wanna get into bird watching and meet my neighbors tho.

In a world where addictive technology is designed to buy and sell our attention, and our value is determined by our 24/7 data productivity, it can seem impossible to escape. But in this inspiring field guide to dropping out of the attention economy, artist and critic Jenny Odell shows us how we can still win back our lives.

+ eye opening

I loved this book! It hit me at just the right time. I have felt very busy and connected recently, and so her musings on disconnecting, engaging with nature, and slowing down were just perfect. Also, I read most of the book on vacation and at some gardens, which just felt ideal. I would say the title is deceptive. It‘s not “how to do nothing” as much as “how to unplug.”

This was such a good book, starting with how to be quiet, find still space in nature, create relationships with friends, and be intentional. Unlike others, Odell takes those fairly familiar approaches and tools and looks at how to use them to break down “the attention economy” and move towards “manifest dismantling” of oppression and the increasing destruction of our planet. One I want to return to.
#Booked2023 #Balance
#Nonfiction2023 #SoWhat

Manifest Destiny wears a strange expression, aimed at the target of “progress.” What is the opposite of manifest destiny? I think it would be something like the angel of history. It‘s a concept I call “Manifest Dismantling.” I imagine another painting, one where Manifest Destiny is trailed, not by trains and ships, but by Manifest Dismantling, a dark-robed woman who is busy undoing all the damage wrought by Manifest Destiny, cleaning up her mess.

When I try to imagine a sane social network it is a space of appearance, a hybrid of mediated and in-person encounters, of hours-long walks with a friend, of phone conversations, of closed group chats, of town halls. It would allow true conviviality, the dinners and gatherings and celebrations that give us the sustenance we need and where we show up for each other in person and say, “I am here, fighting for this with you.”

The attention economy profits from keeping us trapped in a fearful present…I worry about what this means long term for our propensity to seek out context, or our ability to understand context at all. Given that all of these issues facing us demand an understanding of complexity, relationship, and nuance, the ability to seek and understand context is nothing less than a collective survival skill.

Similar to many Indigenous cultures‘ relationships to land, bioregionalism is first and foremost based on observation and recognition of what grows where as well as an appreciation for the complex web of relationships among those actors. More than observation, it also suggests a way of identifying with place, weaving oneself into a place through observation of, and responsibility to, an ecosystem.

While it may seem at first like refusal is a reaction, the decision to actually refuse—not once, not twice, but perpetually until things have changed—means the development of and adherence to individual and collective commitments from which our actions proceed. In the history of activism, even things that seemed like reactions were often planned actions…Rosa Parks was “acting, not reacting” when she refused to get up from her seat.

Curiosity, something we know most of all from childhood, is a forward-driving force that derives from the differential between what is known and what is not known…. Through attention and curiosity we can suspend our tendency toward instrumental understanding, seeing things or people one-dimensionally as the products of their functions, and instead sit with the unfathomable fact of their existence which opens up toward us.

Audre Lorde: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

I‘ve always found it funny that it‘s called bird-watching, because half if not more of bird-watching is actually bird-listening. (I personally think they should just rename it “bird-noticing.”)…What amazed and humbled me about bird-watching was the way it changed the granularity of my perception, which had been pretty “low-res.” At first, I just noticed birdsong more-now that I was paying attention to it, I realized that it was almost everywhere.

“Seneca, in ‘On the Shortness of Life‘ [49 CE] described the horror of looking back to see that life has slipped between our fingers. It sounds all too much like someone waking from the stupor of an hour on Facebook.”

Taking advantage of the time between arrival and forced bedtime at my sleep study, to come back to this book. I chip away at it a chapter or two at a time, and then set it aside for many months. I do like it, for some reason just can't take it all in at once.

Reading this book, I marveled at how the author moves easily between ecology, feminism, technology, birdwatching, social media, and art criticism, and ties them all back to resisting the attention economy. A must read for anyone with a smartphone, and particularly anyone interested in any of the other topics I listed above. Highly recommend.

Working through this one again as the first time I picked it up wasn‘t the right time and I only got through the introduction.

What are the books in your friend group that cause conversation? I saw a friend post about this one this summer and asked her thoughts. When I posted reading this the other day, a couple friends asked what I was thinking. Clearly we have this book on our minds.

(This is a cover of polish edition of this book)

#bookspin

It's a reread I've been waiting for :) But I'm trying something different this time. I noticed that I often speed up my reading the closer I am to the end of a book and don't pay enough attention to the last few chapters. So I decided to read this book... backwards. We'll see how it goes :)

Interesting and thought-provoking, this book is a manifesto of sorts about the importance and value of fighting the constant urge to check and be validated by our phones and social media feeds. The title, even the author notes, is deceptive. It is more about doing what is important or at least not productive from the capitalist, technologist point of view, but rather finding connection with our fellow humans and other inhabitants of the world.

This book meandered a bit too much to hold my attention so I mostly skimmed it. I agree that social media has no context and often feel bombarded by disparate subjects in a feed. Also agree nature is healing and important for us to notice our surroundings. Mostly learned that the person who recommended this to me seems to enjoy such different types of books than me (I have recommended many of my favorites to her that she didn't enjoy too!).

Timely and important, but I must remember I prefer fiction. Bailed.

I‘ve been in a bit of a funk lately and my reading has suffered but hoping to come out of it after a very successful Chicago indie bookstore crawl for Independent Bookstore Day. You know, in addition to my library stacks and existing owner TBR.

I think a lot of her points went over my head a bit, bc I was listening to the audio while driving. (Ironic 🤔) I'd recommend reading this one with your eyes. What I took in made sense, though. #wintergames2021 #teamgamesleighers @staycurious #littenlistenbingo #wrapitupreadathon #averymerryreadathon #merryandbrightreadathon #averymerrybingo #bookspinbingo #wintercosy #festivereadathon
16+480=496 points

This book is pissing me off. I‘d rather read a book entitled Self care So You Can Do Something. I really dislike “self-help” books written from a place of privilege. While she addresses that issue at different points, it is the place Odell is writing from. Too much about rich techies trying to get away from it all. Climate change is hammering us, whether it is the West on fire or poor people being crushed by hurricanes. 👇

Reading, watching the tomatoes grow, and contemplating my digital life. Currently ruminating over what exactly does posting on social media do for me? Appreciate any thoughts on how to interact more mindfully with my chosen platforms!

Perfect location to sit and dig into this book last night.

Clearly not doing well keeping off screens but working on doing nothing as often as possible. I never knew how involved concussion recovery was but I‘m finding the aluminum lining 📸by my lovely artist friend, Kat Corvidae

Current audiobook and it definitely resonates.

Last day on holiday, getting a bit of reading in before heading to the beach. Just hope the weather cheers up soon ☀️

The other half is looking after Alfie this morning so I can read in bed 🥰 and he made me a coffee.. the cup though 😂 (I‘m so sentimental I kept this cup from years ago)

Just a general update after coming out the other side of Screen-Free Week: there are certain apps I missed & those I didn‘t. Now I know which is which & feel like, after a week of going cold-turkey, I‘ll be able to resist the pull of social media *way* better.

I moved both FB & Instagram into folders so they‘re not as readily accessible. But I DID miss Litsy & Goodreads! I *need* them to keep track of my reading! Such a valuable service.

I'm posting one book per day from the ever growing unread stacks in my personal library. No description or explanation, just books I own and plan to read. #tbr

Day 70.1 (Kindle edition)

Screen-Free Week is coming up (May 3rd - May 9th) & I‘m planning to avoid social media for the week (Litsy included).🤞🏻

I wrote a little blog post about it for work, complete with book recommendations. Check it out & help me look popular (social media‘s a problem for a reason, right? I crave that validation! 😜).

https://tinyurl.com/2mcn95d4

More of a WHY to do nothing vs how to do nothing - Odell explores how our attention has become a commodity and the value in taking your attention back, creating awareness for yourself in how you are using your attention and being deliberate in your choices. It was somewhat hard to follow on audio - the narrator would be better suited to fiction.

I think I was looking for more- or expected something else. I‘m not sure. It was fine, and maybe I just didn‘t read this at the right time for me to love it.

This was a book I really needed right now, looking at the 'attention economy' and the enforced nature of productivity across job and - what should be - 'not job' time. It makes parallels to environmental issues and activism, and presents itself in a way that is readable to people who don't usually pick up non fiction stuff (ie me).

This book isn't about doinging nothing, and it isn't a social media detox. Rather Jenny Odell writes of her own observations and experiences in these essays as she examines what it means to be productive and our perception of time, place, self, and community. She presents her findings on awareness (biological, ecological, social, etc.) and argues for the need to gain control of our attention and where we place it.

Starting this one today, and I must say I like the term "fresh horrors device" ?

I struggled with this one. Odell makes some powerful arguments that are absolutely worth consideration & application. But some points have blinders on, which makes certain sections frustrating.

I really loved this small but powerful book. It‘s not a true “How to...” book, but instead pulls from various sources to discuss how social media has stolen our attention away, and how to reclaim it. I borrowed the ebook from my local library, but I‘m considering buying a hard copy that I can reach for time and time again.

“One might say the parks and libraries of the self are always about to be turned into condos.”

This book is not a social media detox—it‘s way weirder than that! How to Do Nothing is about resisting the attention economy—directing our attention with intention, valuing activities that cannot be commodified and are thus defined as “nothing.” Through examples of cool ass performance art, bioregionalism, radical history, and more, artist Jenny Odell blazes a way back toward repossessing one of our most endangered, vital resources—our attention.

Thanks for the tag @obviateit! #Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView

1. Probably hot tea, my favorite flannel granny gown and a heating pad to keep my toes toasty.

2. Tagged. Maybe I should have read it four years ago, but honestly I feel like we aren't out of the woods yet and I need as many sanity saving strategies as possible.

ETA- if you are reading this consider yourself tagged 😁

Not really about how to do nothing, more about disengaging with social media and re-engaging with nature and the community around you. I really, really enjoyed this.

#Insomnia has me starting a new audiobook from the library.