How is anyone supposed to focus in the modern age? Photo by Natalie Goo.

REECE BUTLER | MANAGING EDITOR | rmbutler@butler.edu 

In a society where instant entertainment, consumption and gratification are at one’s fingertips, it is easier than ever to fall victim to distraction. After all, distraction comes in many forms: binging the latest reality show, getting peer pressured into language learning by a certain cartoon bird, receiving news alerts about deeply distressing current events or doomscrolling into oblivion between classes. Moreover, the cultural shifts between ever-changing trends produce a seemingly endless demand for individuals to engage with the impossibly dynamic qualifications to be relevant.

Like it or not, the modern person has to contend with more ways to spend their time than ever before.

For Brenna Bailey, a sophomore pre-pharmacy PP2 and master’s in business administration combined major, an attention-seeking world is nothing new; it’s merely evolved.

“Now we’re more reachable than ever … [but] that sort of stuff has always been around and there’s always been a distraction, it’s just changed form,” Bailey said.

Bailey’s observation that there have always been ways to avoid focus is accurate. However, there’s a notable difference in the modern age due to a multitude of technological advancements.

Dominic Grossa, a junior finance and Spanish double major, has seen significant increases in distraction with the rise of individuals curating online presences. To Grossa, the evolution of virtual identity has led to increased pressure to keep up with fads. 

“Due to this social media effect, the fact that everyone’s just connected in an instant … the distraction [emerges] through these quick trends that happen,” Grossa said.

These trends are not inherently good or bad. With the rise of holistic wellness trends came a decrease in societal stigma about mental health and therapy. On the other hand, the transient nature of fad culture promotes a desire to overconsume to fit in. Said overconsumption isn’t restricted to merely physical commodities but includes other forms of consumerism as well.

Adjunct professor Megan Wiegand is well aware of the worth of our time and energy and encourages everyone else to start being aware of it, too.

“Everything around us is pulling our attention away,” Wiegand said. “They talk more and more about how the new currency is our attention, so I think it’s important to be aware of when you’re giving that currency away.”

Perhaps the first key, then, is to intentionally identify and admit that distraction is something everyone engages with to some degree. However, this too is tricky, as the same American ideals that promote economically beneficial accumulation require an equal, if not greater, amount of diligence in production. Simply put, the social effects of capitalism produce conflicting expectations as to how one’s time is spent.

Wiegand considers these dueling desires to be cyclical.

“On one end, capitalism wants us to be distracted so we consume,” Wiegand said. “But then, in [the] corporate world, when you’re an employee, they want you to be super focused and have high productivity yield. So, it’s that constant back and forth that wears on you … [and] you end up going to the easy distraction to decompress and disassociate just to survive.”

Wiegand’s description likely resonates with many downtime routines. Rewatching a nostalgic TV show while instinctually opening addicting social apps at the slightest hint of boredom is a familiar experience for individuals in search of a craving that’s nothing more than a deep irony. In one way or another, too many people try to cure what ails them through engaging with more of the same.

Hope is not lost, though. Even within the Butler bubble, there are countless ways to turn down the noise. One such method of disconnect involves practicing intentional simplicity throughout small pockets within the day; something that Wiegand teaches in her Mindfulness in Everyday Life class.

“[Mindfulness professors] teach meditation and help grow students’ ability to be more present in their everyday life,” Wiegand said.

Meditation is an ancient practice oftentimes associated with religion, particularly Buddhism. However, its explosion into the mainstream has inspired countless offshoots, with plenty of them dedicated to secular reflection and intentionality.

Another option, particularly for those who are exceptionally reluctant to completely disconnect, is to harness existing distractions for one’s benefit. 

“The speed at which we get and share information — that by itself is a distraction,” Grossa said. “On the flip side, it’s then a tool.”

Grossa’s mentality suggests a silver lining to the often stormy prospect of constant stimulation. After all, more options to be distracted must also beget more options to be engaged — something that Grossa knows all about as the College Mentors for Kids general manager, his fraternity’s president, a Young Life member and an English tutor at the Immigrant Welcome Center.

“I, in a way, think of my day as a routine,” Grossa said. “I’m someone who has to do things off of habit.”

Bailey likes to utilize her Gen-Z inclination to multitask by picking work environments that emphasize her strengths. Whether she’s working on something for the athletic band, her sorority, Student Government Association, her pharmacy fraternity or any of her many other involvements, she tries to play into pre-existing habits. 

“I really like noise when I study,” Bailey said. “It gives me something else to be ignoring and drowning out other than my work.”

The reality is that choosing to be present and productive, whether personally or professionally, is something that does not happen overnight. Moreover, there is no one way to accomplish these pursuits — trying to replicate another’s success will leave one more lost than when they started. So instead, make intentional efforts to be a willing participant in life-giving activities. 

Turning one’s phone off to walk in nature, practice a hobby or simply exist without mindlessly giving away attention are easy initial steps to take. Even if only temporarily, engaging in the real world is a great way to break free from a society that wants everyone distracted.