Attention is one of the most precious resources available to individuals. This is not to suggest that your engagement with content like this supports the financial stability of digital platforms or writers, although that is appreciated. Rather, the significance of your attention stems from the incredible phenomenon of human consciousness itself. You are made up of atoms, yet possess the remarkable ability to think, ponder, and determine where you focus your mental resources. The elements that capture your attention fundamentally influence your thoughts and, consequently, shape your interactions with the world around you.

This highlights the need for deliberate choices concerning what to focus on. A crucial aspect of this is also making conscious decisions about what to disregard. A recent episode of the podcast Never Post, which offers insightful discussions about the online landscape, featured a dialogue between host Hans Buetow and researcher Stephan Lewandowsky. They discussed a study titled Critical Ignoring as a Core Competence for Digital Citizens, which explores how to navigate our information-saturated environment.

Misleading and low-value information can easily capture people’s focus by eliciting feelings like curiosity or anger. To shield themselves from such distractions, individuals must cultivate new cognitive habits that empower them to steer clear of clickbait and detrimental content. This paper argues that being digitally literate involves mastering the art of critical ignoring—making purposeful choices about what to overlook and how to direct one’s limited attention effectively.

This concept resonates strongly, especially if one grows up hearing phrases like “knowledge is power.” Conventional wisdom suggests that absorbing as much information as possible is beneficial. However, Lewandowsky emphasizes that there is a threshold to how much one can meaningfully engage with. He states, “It’s only by ignoring things that you can actually focus on other stuff and process it to the point where you actually understand it.”

What does this imply for individuals? The answer is influenced by personal values and knowledge interests, but consider the context of an election year. Expect a barrage of articles and videos demanding your attention, with only a fraction being truly informative. To be an informed and proactive citizen in today’s digital age, one must discern which content deserves focus and which to disregard.

Creating personal criteria to navigate information overload has been effective for many. One common guideline is to be wary of political articles that utilize aggressive language—where figures are said to “blast,” “decimate,” or “eviscerate” opponents—as these often lack substantial policy discussion.

Instead, it’s beneficial to seek out pieces that explore the implications of governmental decisions on people’s lives. Similarly, articles speculating on voter reactions often overlook substantive policy debates. Different individuals will prioritize different issues, but the takeaway is that successfully navigating the online world involves determining what to ignore, and refining this ability serves us all well. Whether that means tuning out social media outrage or skipping over articles that prioritize sensationalism over understanding, the goal is to focus on what truly matters.

To quote Lewandowsky once more:

“…to acquire knowledge, you gotta be able to focus on something. And if you are so overwhelmed with information that you can’t pay any proper attention to anything, well, then you’re not gathering knowledge. You’re just gathering random noise.”

With the ever-increasing volume of distractions, it has become crucial to enhance the ability to ignore irrelevance and hone in on valuable information.