The documentary 'Your Attention Please,' premiering this week at South by Southwest, begins with a simple, jarring question for a generation: do you recall life before smartphones? For many, that world is a fading memory. The film, which CNET previewed, investigates how the systems behind our screens are engineered to capture and hold our focus, reshaping behavior from the ground up.
Director Sara Robin initially planned a personal film about breaking phone habits. But interviews with researchers and families, including those affected by cyberbullying, broadened the project. It became an examination of how social media and, now, AI are designed to influence what we do. Digital safety advocate Trisha Prabhu, inventor of ReThink technology, argues these platforms didn't just create new spaces—they redefined social validation itself, trading private experience for public metrics like likes and shares.
Prabhu warns the next phase is already here. Automated AI tools can generate abuse at scale, craft impersonations, and produce deepfakes, potentially blurring lines between human and machine interaction in ways that deepen isolation. 'We have to ask ourselves,' she told CNET, 'how much of our time and connection we want spent with an AI tool.'
The film's release has catalyzed a coordinated campaign. On March 11, over 25 digital well-being groups, from Common Sense Media to the Center for Humane Technology, will simultaneously launch the trailer under the 'Stand for Their Attention' initiative. This mirrors growing scrutiny from global lawmakers and researchers into how digital platforms affect mental health and development.
Robin, however, sees reason for optimism. The rapid public discourse around AI, compared to the slower reckoning with social media, suggests a more prepared society. 'We have more power than we think,' she said. The film proposes no single fix but pushes a central question: as attention becomes a premier global commodity, what world do we choose to build with the technology we design?
Source: CNET