They Stole Your Attention

# Summary Attention spans have collapsed to 47 seconds on average—down from 150 seconds in 2004—as trillion-dollar tech companies systematically exploit human psychology through notifications, algorithmic feeds, and interruptions designed to maximize ad revenue. The true cost is severe: it takes 25 minutes to refocus after a distraction, yet the most-pinged workers face interruptions every 2 minutes, making deep work nearly impossible. The article argues that regaining control requires removing the addictive technology itself, as willpower alone cannot compete against machines engineered to exploit our weakest moments.