The Situation: At home and in schools, you were given powerful technologies to use before developers or parents fully understood the impact those technologies would have on your attention and mental health. At the same time, you were expected to excel in school, extracurriculars, and social life despite the fact that these new technologies radically changed and even interfered with these domains of life.  

You may find that class assignments seem to require both sustained attention and the management of multiple competing goals. You may find that, despite their power as communication media, smartphones and social media make it more difficult to build and maintain close friendships. You might find that your family life or spiritual practices are challenging, due to the attentional demands required of everyone involved. You may find that you have developed technology habits that don’t serve you but feel impossible to change. With the constant presence of social media and access to more information than your brain can process, you may find yourself overwhelmed and feeling like you do not know yourself. 

The Response: The JMU Attention Literacy Initiative intends to help you navigate this high-distraction world and find balance. To do this, we will provide resources, teach courses, offer workshops and consultations, hold conversations, and conduct research to help individuals and groups understand cognitive limitations, the science of attention, the effects of persuasive technologies and media multitasking, and evidence-based ways to manage your attention and accomplish your goals.  

Regardless of your intentions, goals, or particular information environments, we hope to help you learn to regulate your attention in ways that are beneficial to you and the communities you engage with. 

What can I do to get started? 

• Read and reflect upon the following story that shows how attention determines your experiences (link to Attention Determines Experience) 
• Take a look at the student-created attention guides we have collected from our courses 
• Register for one of our Honors, General Education, or Psychology courses 
• Contact us if you are interested in projects or collaborations