The Spontaneity Deficit: Dangers and Opportunities of the Age of Distraction

FAIN: DOI-293825-23

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA 22903-4833)
Zachary Clint Irving (Project Director: February 2023 to present)

Research and writing a book on the ethical impact of distraction by digital technology. 

The founder of Napster said that digital distractions like notifications and ads are made to “consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible… God only knows what it’s doing to our children’s brains.” This is typical of Silicon Valley’s “move fast, break things” ethos. Companies change our lives and minds without knowing the risks and opportunities. One risk is familiar: digital distractions undermine our capacity to pay attention. The Spontaneity Deficit will identify another risk. Digital technologies not only make us more distracted; they also change how we are distracted. Our minds used to wander during idly times like riding a bus or walking. Digital distractions are instead designed to leave us “stuck” on a salient topic, such as moral outrage or doom-scrolling. This deficit of mind-wandering––the eponymous spontaneity deficit––is a problem because our idly ramblings are a fount of creative insight.