Frontier Fellow 2025-2026:
Johnny Zhu
Title: “Designed for Distraction: How Digital Environments Shape Attention and Focus”
Johnny is a first-year Robotics Engineering student at UCSC. His research interests are centered on human-compatible software. In pursuit of more humane technology, he is working with Professor Katherine Isbister, director of the Social Emotional Technology Lab, and Professor Jeremy Yamashiro, director of the Yamashiro Collective Memory Lab.
In 2024, Oxford University Press named “brain rot” the Word of the Year, a term many people have accepted to describe the mental fatigue and attention decline they now see as a regular part of daily life. Social media users are beginning to recognize the impact that social media has on their cognition.
Digital topics compete for our limited attention, and faster communication breaks our attention spans into increasingly shorter periods. How do we solve this problem?
The project’s goal is to help users envision what’s possible in a digital media platform designed to support their ability to focus and protect cognitive health. The project is a website that utilizes an algorithmic feed to support emotional well-being, rather than exploiting it. Based on a user’s emotional goals and daily check- ins, it curates content that promotes focus, growth, and authenticity. It’s built to counter persuasive design by giving users more control, reducing manipulation, and encouraging healthier digital habits. Users will be able to compare the experience with a contrasting, distraction-prone version to highlight the impact of design choices.