Reclaiming Attention: A Manifesto for a Kinder Digital Future By Praveen Nishanth | New Year Edition “It’s okay to look away.” A Wake-Up Scroll It starts small. A ping. A buzz. A “quick” scroll. And suddenly, an hour has vanished… or two. From the tiny hands of a child watching endless reels to a retired elder forwarding videos late into the night, we’re all caught in something— a loop we never signed up for. What if I told you… it’s not your fault? The Dopamine Dilemma Your brain is wired to seek novelty. To feel rewarded when something new or exciting happens. That’s dopamine doing its job. But today’s digital design doesn’t play fair. Apps and platforms are crafted to trigger this reward system—again and again. Not to help you. But to keep you there. This isn’t about addiction in the classic sense. It’s about being conditioned—slowly— to need stimulation to feel okay. Why Some Fall Deeper Than Others Some people have more sensitive reward system...
Well, it’s about leaving my native, ever-green Nagercoil, located at the southernmost tip of India, a place of immense natural beauty. Surrounded by the Western Ghats, it boasts lush green landscapes and serene backwaters. As I gazed out of the clean, big glass window of the new orange and grey Vande Bharat train, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the verdant hills and tranquil surroundings of my hometown. The sight of the lush greenery slipping away made me realize how much I would miss the serene beauty of Nagercoil and how blessed I am to be born there. A Fresh Journey on the Orange Vande Bharat Express After some busy days of working only from my home, this seemed to be a nice train journey after a while with my wife last Saturday. You know, I enjoyed a meal from Indian Railways for the first time. The food was decent, though the service was not quite up to the mark. The host should speak the local language, especially Tamil, but I appreciate it for what it is. We we...