Are big tech's attention algorithms undermining our ability to focus during prayer?

Muslims need homegrown research tailored to their needs

Published in The National

Smartphones and social media are profoundly affecting our cognition and our interpersonal relations. Scientifically studying the impact and developing countermeasures is critical to our well-being. Furthermore, the unique culture of Gulf countries interacts with smartphones and social media in a way that only homegrown scholars can truly understand.

In the half-century that followed the Second World War, the economic, political and social success of western culture created a powerful socialisation force. People in the Global South felt pressure to view the adoption of western cultural values as being inevitably tied to progress. Clinging on to one’s own culture might have felt comforting, but it would mean falling further behind in the civilisational race that commenced during the European Enlightenment in the 17th century.

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