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capitalist-productivity

The dominant cultural logic that values individuals solely based on their economic output, marginalizing unproductive or non-utilitarian activities.

1 chapter across 1 book

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy (2019)Jenny Odell

Chapter 4: Exercises in Attention

Chapter 4, titled "Exercises in Attention," serves as an introduction to the book's core argument about resisting the attention economy by practicing 'doing nothing' as a form of political and cultural resistance. Jenny Odell critiques the capitalist valuation of productivity and the invasive design of social media platforms that commodify attention, advocating instead for a reorientation of attention towards local, physical, and communal experiences. The chapter situates this argument within Odell's personal context in the San Francisco Bay Area, emphasizing the importance of place and the environment as sites for reclaiming attention and meaning.