Attentional alignment with others generates communal powers no individual could reach alone

Evidence

We understand better now why we should in no way deplore attentional gregariousness. Even if our fervent individualism admits it grudgingly, we are only able to collectively develop communal powers that are incomparably superior to our isolated capabilities because our attention tends to align with the attention of others – albeit in sometimes contrary directions, which nevertheless implies orientation along the same axis. — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 111

Categorization

• XREF: Resonates with Durkheim’s ‘collective effervescence’ and with the Frankfurt School’s critique of mass distraction — the reader is bridging those literatures. — connects to: Attention disorders confer perceptual advantages that misaligned perspectives obscure in others — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 525; Attention is more valuable when it diverges from others than when it aligns — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 526; Collective intelligence depends on material infrastructure beyond human minds — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 554 (+12 more)

Broader Connections

• Attention is alignment, the same faculty on individual and collective levels #exemplifies (0.90)
• Shared attention builds a collective rather than merely private reality #expands (0.85) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 121
• Individual identity is strengthened by representation in others’ attention #expands (0.80) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 493