Are we inevitably at the mercy of distraction due to the inundation of modern mass media? Do we need effective strategies to direct and focus our attention? Distraction is considered the opposite of attention or concentration and is understood as an obstacle or evil. However, this book demonstrates that distraction was already viewed as distributed attention around 1800 and evolved into an important perception technique. Accordingly, distributing attention across multiple objects represents a self-technique of proactive action, the practice of which is significant. Furthermore, distraction is positively framed as a necessary break and change from tiring work. Thus, a media history of distraction fills a research gap within media theory and the theory of modernity.