We are undergoing a fundamental shift in how we think, work, focus, and find fulfillment in the digital age. While personal technologies are designed to extend our capabilities, Mark's research shows that they often lead to increased multitasking and stress—factors that can hinder performance. To better understand how we use technology, the study involves observing people in their real-world environments using sensors and other mixed methods. In this talk, Mark will begin by showing how our attention spans on screens have significantly decreased over the past two decades. She will discuss how this change is connected to broader sociotechnical systems shaping our lives. Next, she will discuss the different types of attention people experience in the workplace and how these patterns influence mood and wellbeing. Finally, solutions will be discussed at both the individual and collective levels for gaining agency with attention, sharing insights on how people can recognize and work with their natural attentional rhythms.

Bio:

Gloria Mark is Chancellor’s Professor Emerita of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She has spent ten years as a visiting senior researcher at Microsoft Research. She received her Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. Her primary research, within human-computer interaction, focuses on how digital media affects people's attention, mood, and behavior. She studies technology use in real-world settings, combining sensors with a range of research methods. She has also studied the future of work, researching challenges for teams in remote work environments. She has published over 200 articles, was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy in 2017, and has been a Fulbright Scholar. Her recent book Attention Span was named by The Globe and Mail as the #1 Best Business and Management book of 2023. Her work has been recognized outside of academia: she has been invited to present her work at SXSW and the Aspen Ideas Festival, and her work has appeared in the popular media, e.g. The Ezra Klein show, Hidden Brain, CBS Sunday Morning, NPR, Dax Shepard, among many others.

In-person attendance is open to Princeton University faculty, staff and students.

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