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Attensity!: A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement
Not yet published
Expected 20 Jan 26A rallying cry to fight the commodification of human attention, with the tools we need to reclaim our humanity, by a group of writers, artists, and activists in the vanguard of the movement
“A stirring battle cry on behalf of our shared humanity against the forces that seek to diminish and degrade it. Downright invigorating. Just what the moment calls for.”—Chris Hayes, author of The Sirens’ Call
We all feel something is seriously wrong. Our attention—that essential ability to give our minds and senses to the world—is being trapped, gutted, and sold out from under us by an industry of immense technological and financial power. The heedless exploitation of this vital capacity by a handful of tech companies is harming us all, reducing our very selfhood to that which can be quantified, bought, and sold—and shaking the foundations of our democracy.
To push back against this “human fracking,” we need more than individual willpower or isolated efforts. We need a movement of collective resistance. Such a movement is beginning to bloom, and in this radical, first-of-its-kind guide, The Friends of Attention show us how to join the fight. We meet welders, nurses, poets, and surfers, all of whom are engaged in attentional practices. We learn to seek out sanctuaries—theaters and museums, houses of worship, dance parties—where together we can take refuge from the frackers. Attention Activism takes our apocalyptic present, turns it on its head, and reveals new vistas of human flourishing.
Drawing on a rich legacy of critical intellectuals and the creative wisdom of diverse traditions, Attensity calls on us to come together to defeat the greedy dehumanizing forces of brute instrumentalization—and re-enchant the world.
“A stirring battle cry on behalf of our shared humanity against the forces that seek to diminish and degrade it. Downright invigorating. Just what the moment calls for.”—Chris Hayes, author of The Sirens’ Call
We all feel something is seriously wrong. Our attention—that essential ability to give our minds and senses to the world—is being trapped, gutted, and sold out from under us by an industry of immense technological and financial power. The heedless exploitation of this vital capacity by a handful of tech companies is harming us all, reducing our very selfhood to that which can be quantified, bought, and sold—and shaking the foundations of our democracy.
To push back against this “human fracking,” we need more than individual willpower or isolated efforts. We need a movement of collective resistance. Such a movement is beginning to bloom, and in this radical, first-of-its-kind guide, The Friends of Attention show us how to join the fight. We meet welders, nurses, poets, and surfers, all of whom are engaged in attentional practices. We learn to seek out sanctuaries—theaters and museums, houses of worship, dance parties—where together we can take refuge from the frackers. Attention Activism takes our apocalyptic present, turns it on its head, and reveals new vistas of human flourishing.
Drawing on a rich legacy of critical intellectuals and the creative wisdom of diverse traditions, Attensity calls on us to come together to defeat the greedy dehumanizing forces of brute instrumentalization—and re-enchant the world.
- GenresNonfiction
Kindle Edition
Expected publication January 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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October 9, 2025Had to read for work!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I thought ‘Attensity!’ was going to be about what attention is, how modern technologies and the digital age affect it, and actionable ways in which we can reclaim it, both as individuals and as a society. Instead, ‘Attensity!’ reads like the crackpot and often paranoid ravings of someone who is spending way too much time alone in the basement, possibly with a tinfoil hat on their head, desperate to recruit others to their nascent cult—sorry, way of thinking. The random words and phrases in all-caps or italics, sometimes with added bold too, don’t help, and the overall sense I was left with when reading this book was: “You okay, hun?”
Given the importance of the topic and the impact it has on us at every level as human beings, from our basic mental health to the structures of our society, I understand why the writing is so impassioned. However, ‘impassioned’ tips over into ‘crackpot’ when no references are given to back up any of the authors’ claims; even the need for references and research is dismissed with excuses such as “proving causality is hard” and “statistics are a messy business”; even the possibility of research is dismissed by insisting that what we currently define as ‘attention’ isn’t actually attention, and that true attention cannot be defined, and thus cannot be researched and the authors’ claims neither proven nor disproven (convenient…); and we readers are called upon instead to rely on ‘common sense’, though common sense isn’t scientific nor necessarily accurate and would have most people believing the glass is either half empty or half full when it is in fact entirely full, as it is not a vacuum—something that science shows us.
‘Impassioned’ also tips over into ‘crackpot’ when the phrase ‘human fracking’ is repeated every few words.
All that aside, the book is also substantially more filler than content, with many blank pages and with the same central statement being repeated again and again, with a different phrase highlighted each time (before expanding on that phrase with another short and unsubstantiated rant…).
Given how many authors supposedly worked on this book, it’s a shame there wasn’t an editor amongst them. Or someone who realised the importance of coming across as sane. Having someone who could define the concept they’re talking about wouldn’t have hurt, either.
Anyway…
I think what the authors are trying to get at is that the world we currently live in is not optimised to enable us to feel ‘flow’. So instead of reading this book, I would recommend stepping away from your phone, checking out ‘Flow’ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, then doing whatever it is that enables you to feel flow, and perhaps considering ways in which we as a society might change to enable more people to experience flow. (But please don’t write a fracking MANIFESTO on it.)
Many thanks to NetGalley, The Friends of Attention, and Particular Books for the ARC.
Given the importance of the topic and the impact it has on us at every level as human beings, from our basic mental health to the structures of our society, I understand why the writing is so impassioned. However, ‘impassioned’ tips over into ‘crackpot’ when no references are given to back up any of the authors’ claims; even the need for references and research is dismissed with excuses such as “proving causality is hard” and “statistics are a messy business”; even the possibility of research is dismissed by insisting that what we currently define as ‘attention’ isn’t actually attention, and that true attention cannot be defined, and thus cannot be researched and the authors’ claims neither proven nor disproven (convenient…); and we readers are called upon instead to rely on ‘common sense’, though common sense isn’t scientific nor necessarily accurate and would have most people believing the glass is either half empty or half full when it is in fact entirely full, as it is not a vacuum—something that science shows us.
‘Impassioned’ also tips over into ‘crackpot’ when the phrase ‘human fracking’ is repeated every few words.
All that aside, the book is also substantially more filler than content, with many blank pages and with the same central statement being repeated again and again, with a different phrase highlighted each time (before expanding on that phrase with another short and unsubstantiated rant…).
Given how many authors supposedly worked on this book, it’s a shame there wasn’t an editor amongst them. Or someone who realised the importance of coming across as sane. Having someone who could define the concept they’re talking about wouldn’t have hurt, either.
Anyway…
I think what the authors are trying to get at is that the world we currently live in is not optimised to enable us to feel ‘flow’. So instead of reading this book, I would recommend stepping away from your phone, checking out ‘Flow’ by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, then doing whatever it is that enables you to feel flow, and perhaps considering ways in which we as a society might change to enable more people to experience flow. (But please don’t write a fracking MANIFESTO on it.)
Many thanks to NetGalley, The Friends of Attention, and Particular Books for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Attensity! is a manifesto for reclaiming our attention away from technology companies through collective action. It is a short manifesto statement, with each sentence then broken down into a short essay to expand upon the ideas behind it, which builds towards a message for people to find out more about the Friends of Attention and make their own action towards getting our collective attention back.
This is written as an accessible manifesto that does engage with some more philosophical ideas, but also practical examples. It is written in quite a specific style, including heavy use of text formatting like uppercase letters and italics, and some parts are more effective than others in, ironically, keeping your attention through this style. Overall, it is quite abstract, because it is talking about most technology and all big tech companies, and all of these specific stylistic and content choices mean that it is likely to suit some people and be a bit annoying to others. I oscillated between the two, feeling by the end like I thought the movement was very interesting, but I still wasn't entirely sure what action we were being called to. Maybe it is more rousing if you don't already read and think about the impact of big tech on our lives, as it is a chance to reflect on the control they have on our attention.
This is written as an accessible manifesto that does engage with some more philosophical ideas, but also practical examples. It is written in quite a specific style, including heavy use of text formatting like uppercase letters and italics, and some parts are more effective than others in, ironically, keeping your attention through this style. Overall, it is quite abstract, because it is talking about most technology and all big tech companies, and all of these specific stylistic and content choices mean that it is likely to suit some people and be a bit annoying to others. I oscillated between the two, feeling by the end like I thought the movement was very interesting, but I still wasn't entirely sure what action we were being called to. Maybe it is more rousing if you don't already read and think about the impact of big tech on our lives, as it is a chance to reflect on the control they have on our attention.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Attensity The Friends of Attention looks at how our attention has become a valuable resource, increasingly shaped and extracted by large technology companies and powerful financial interests. Rather than focusing only on the problem, the book also considers how people can resist this through local action, shared awareness, and a more intentional relationship with technology.
I did feel my understanding of the subject deepen as I read, particularly around how our attention is engineered, monetised, and redirected. That said, I found the book heavy going at times. I found the writing dense and repetitive, and I wasn’t consistently engaged, even though the chapters themselves are short and clearly organised.
What has stayed with me most is a shift in mindset. Since finishing the book, I’ve been more conscious about where my attention goes and more careful about what I allow to claim it. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
I did feel my understanding of the subject deepen as I read, particularly around how our attention is engineered, monetised, and redirected. That said, I found the book heavy going at times. I found the writing dense and repetitive, and I wasn’t consistently engaged, even though the chapters themselves are short and clearly organised.
What has stayed with me most is a shift in mindset. Since finishing the book, I’ve been more conscious about where my attention goes and more careful about what I allow to claim it. I received an advance review copy from NetGalley, and this is my honest review.
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October 19, 2025I'm saying this as neutrally as possible, but reading this book sort of felt like reading a 200+ page Tumblr post. Don't ask me what I mean by that, because I can't explain. It was a very easy, digestible read-- maybe because at this point I've just consumed so much writing/speaking about attention and the digital world already. Attensity! goes the more philosophical and holistic route, rather than in the Here's How To Quit Social Media direction, but I don't think that it did anything particularly exciting. I think I'd probably recommend this to younger readers (late teens/very early 20s) or people who are fairly new to the ideas presented. Still, I enjoyed it enough to finish it and it's really nice to see the work that the Friends are doing!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
From the title and intro I thought this sounded like an excellent book and parts of it are really interesting.
The main problem is it seems to just go round in circles and not really get to the point. The first half of the book seems to try and define attention yet really never seems to achieve this - it makes some interesting points on ADHD and measure and the origins but this was my only real take away from this part of the book.
The book seems to take a long time to say very little and in that respect was disappointing. It talks a bit about devices capturing our attention but this seems to drift in and out of focus in the book.
Overall the book takes a long time to say very little which is disappointing.
The main problem is it seems to just go round in circles and not really get to the point. The first half of the book seems to try and define attention yet really never seems to achieve this - it makes some interesting points on ADHD and measure and the origins but this was my only real take away from this part of the book.
The book seems to take a long time to say very little and in that respect was disappointing. It talks a bit about devices capturing our attention but this seems to drift in and out of focus in the book.
Overall the book takes a long time to say very little which is disappointing.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Attensity! is a primer on the attention economy, and the way modern capitalism often uses human attention as currency. There are some really insightful and interesting ideas discussed here - the human fracking metaphor is particularly astute - and it is great to see the argument set out in clear and accessible terms. So it's a shame I found the way it's packaged (millennial manifesto! with exclamation marks!) a little grating. There is a lot to admire in the Friends' philosophy; I just wish it sounded a little bit less like a cult.
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
*Thank you to Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*
August 10, 2025
This short and powerful manifesto is a must-read today. The Friends of Attention encourage communities to band together against Big Tech’s commodification of our humanity. The book’s unique style makes it feel accessible despite some high-level ideas and vocabulary. Its urgent message and thoughtfulness make this a five-star read for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the free eARC. I post this review with my honest opinions.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An interesting and informative book. Makes a lot of sense.
Good luck getting the message out to a wider audience it needs to.
Most people will say the message is radical but things need to change going forward
Good luck getting the message out to a wider audience it needs to.
Most people will say the message is radical but things need to change going forward
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews