Once you see the profit incentive, the next step is recognizing the felt experience: “noise.” Noise here is broader than sound—it’s the constant influx of updates, opinions, alerts, short videos, and algorithmic prompts that fragment thought. Even when the content is harmless, the switching cost accumulates until sustained attention becomes difficult to access.
As a result, your inner life can start to feel crowded. You may notice symptoms that look like personal weakness—restlessness, irritability, inability to read deeply—but the quote suggests a different interpretation: you are living under conditions engineered for interruption. Naming it “noise” validates the exhaustion and makes decluttering feel like a rational response rather than an overreaction. [...]
