Awareness vs. Attention

Each Friday I send an email to the broad communications team at Microsoft, titled, naturally, TGIF. :) Sometimes I share these externally; below are my favorite parts from the one I sent earlier today. A key theme through many of these 302 missives has been the search for truth, and the value of trust, and the role of communications (and communicators) in both.

Last week I wrote about the challenge of communicating in a wildly fractured information environment. There is an equal challenge, which is how do we monitor and stay up to date (as communicators or honestly just as human beings) in this same environment? Short answer: it is hard! But on two different levels. Let’s start with the tactical.

On this level, there are a bunch of decent options, and they start with the key of being clear on the audience you’re seeking to understand and stay ahead of the information that might reach them. Trying to understand developers? Probably a mix of reddit and Hacker News and selectively following some of the more interesting developers in their social environs. General tech? Techmeme continues to be a great resource for this, plus interesting newsletters. General business? Loads of great newsletters that show up in your inbox at the pace you desire from Fortune, Economist, The New York Times, Bloomberg and others. Gaming? Mostly social, plus again finding the most interesting influencers on YouTube, Twitch and so on. Intersection of politics/policy/tech? Newsletters again plus Axios and Politico and their ilk, as well as the New York Times and The Washington Post who are doing a good job there – the reporters are on Twitter and often do deep dives, which I think are informative. Pop culture? Oh…that’s a tough one – find interesting people on social and read their links. People laugh at the Style section for The New York Times, but it does represent one slice of culture, as does The New Yorker and Entertainment Weekly. Newsletters, again. But the starting point is figuring out what audience, then who is interesting/influential there, and build out.

I still read print papers and magazines because they expose me to things outside my built-in filter bubble, which I think is valuable for context and perspective. I fill in around the edges with podcasts that strike my mood, and there are some great ones out there, for any topic you might like. I tend to listen to these when I’m on the move – running or cycling or in the car, so it’s not an everyday thing. But if you’re going to do one thing, tune your main social feed by following the people who are interested/interesting in the topic or audience you’re tracking.

Okay that was easy, now comes the hard part. We are potentially awash in information, while in the midst of a pandemic, crazy political campaigns, attacks on science and facts, and a recession. On bad days, each of us can fall into the habit of “doomscrolling” through news or social, looking for something to either rebut or reinforce what we might believe. On breaking news days, click through all the headlines and updates, waiting for enlightenment of some kind. I know this is true ?? because I find myself doing the same thing, and can then feel the energy and time loss that comes with it.

So here is what I am working on, imperfectly: to make sure I understand the difference between awareness and attention.

Let me explain. There are topics today that I need to be aware of because it is part of my job. So, I pay attention to politics and policy and security, none of which are very “happy” topics right now, and likely fall into the “doomscroll” piece of things. If I’m intentional, I can find a way to stay aware and up to speed on these issues without giving them my attention. It doesn’t mean not focused or browse - these are complicated topics that need full brainpower. But simply by noting that my intent is to be aware so that I can take action, it limits the negative emotional association and dread that can come.

Pause here and think about the last thing you read/heard/saw. How did it make you feel? Why?

Now we come to attention. We’ve all heard the term “attention economy” and “attention hijacking” and the like – it’s all about other people trying to use your attention in some way that benefits them – links, ads, likes. In this world, something is being taken from you, and what is left behind can be pretty negative. But we can choose where to spend our attention currency, if we’re aware of what’s going on. This is what I’m trying to do. My attention should be spent intentionally, on things that bring me more energy, not less – friends and family, great books and funny movies, TV shows, games, sports. I saw a TikTok video this week that was so funny I laughed, and then watched again and laughed harder. I felt better – my attention had been well spent.

Despite the core concept of the Android Work Profile, there is no bright and clear delineation (at least from an energy standpoint) between what we do at work and in the rest of our lives. One follows the other, good times at work flow into happier at home, bad days at work do the same, and it happens in reverse as well. But what each of us owns is the attention we give, and the emotional plus or negative that comes with it. Of course, we have to pay attention and be aware of things at work. But we can choose to assign the right level of attention that allows us at the end of the day to have more attention to spend, on things that might be important to each of us.

The runup to the election here in the United States, and likely the days following, are likely to be intense. I will be practicing my ability to be aware of things, but not spend my attention on those things that I can’t control, or which won’t bring me energy in return.

TGIF! I have some books to read, some new recipes to try, and family to make sure I stay connected with. Come Monday, that will serve me well, from an energy standpoint!

fxs