Emotions function as thermometers of the attentional ecosystem between persons

Evidence

As was so well brought to light by Gilbert Simondon, our emotions express the state of the transindividual relation that unites us with our environment: they serve as a thermometer for measuring the state of our attentional ecosystem. Contrary to the cliché which idealizes the teacher, particularly at higher levels, as a paragon of rationality, and contrary to the method of competitive selection which, in French establishments, favours disciplined knowledge without granting the least pertinence to emotional sensitivity, the fate of teaching is in play at a more fundamental level than that of information transmission and reasoning: in the ability of each participant to know how to pay attention to their affects, which are always necessarily shared since they emanate from the relations established between the preindividual portions of their personalities. — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 266

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the transindividual-affect theory from Simondon as the substrate of any attention ecosystem.
• XREF: Simondon’s ‘preindividual’ language connects to debates on algorithmic personalization and data subjectivity this reader engages in digital media theory. — connects to: Presential attention defines human environments as ecosystems of communion — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 257; Attention is socially and materially mediated, not just a scarce mental resource — Annual Review of Anthropology contributors (⚠ verify author line), The Political Economy of Attention, 26; Viral sharing is driven by high-arousal emotions, not viewing pleasure — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1070 (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Attention is socially and materially mediated, not just a scarce mental resource #expands (0.75) — Annual Review of Anthropology contributors (⚠ verify author line), The Political Economy of Attention, 26