Tracking changes
For awareness to occur, consciousness must receive and process large streams of incoming data—data streams from attention cameras. The streams include information about what is happening around and inside the agent. For example, right now, you are reading this text, receiving data streams about the text, the laptop you are reading it from, the room you are in, and even about the state of your body (absence/presence of fatigue, desire to eat, stretch, etc.).
There can be many streams of data, and they can be distinguished in various ways. You can categorize data streams by the function/activity you are engaged in. For instance, currently, your data streams are working like those of a reader of text, a student processing and comprehending the text. Perhaps simultaneously, you are listening to calm music and acting as a listener, but this is a background activity, not the most important. Data streams can also be distinguished by perceptual channels, for example, data streams from hearing, vision, touch. However, more commonly, streams are differentiated based on their content/the roles you perform.
The primary data stream, to which most cameras are attached, and the data from which are processed in S2 mode, is usually one. There may be a secondary, minor stream processed with the help of S1. This can happen when you combine automatic tasks, for example, washing dishes, with thoughts about your plan for the day.
Different types of combining tasks lead to multitasking.
A lot of information comes in the data stream, while the resources for processing it are limited: both biologically and technologically. The perceptual apparatus physically cannot process all incoming information, so inevitably drops a part of it. Information competes for the opportunity to be processed at all (i.e., to enter the field of attention cameras and be processed in some way), and even more so competes for the opportunity to be processed consciously. When we look out the window onto the street, we see a wide panorama. However, attention will be focused on some objects, such as construction machinery outside. Some objects may attract our attention unconsciously: we will startle and shift our gaze to a suddenly running passerby. In this process, the usual wires for a city dweller will go unnoticed. We are also unlikely to pay attention, even unconsciously, to the new air conditioner on the house opposite—the data will be lost. Furthermore, during the storage of information in memory, the process of data loss continues.
Therefore, choices have to be made as to which information is more important, to prioritize it. This happens through signals about changes coming from the attention cameras. Signals attract the attention cameras and serve as indicators of the importance of what is happening, but do not explain the occurrence. For example, the feeling of "ontological jitters" only indicates that there might be an issue with using concepts. However, it does not say that the problem actually exists: perhaps the jittery feeling arises from a misunderstanding (e.g., the lack of differentiation between the concepts of "ontology" and "conceptual base"). The jittery feeling is just a signal to "pay attention, stop, and check". Drawing conclusions about what is really happening (i.e., creating a certain model of what is happening) after the signal will require slow and conscious thought, using S2.
Signals can be strong and weak. Strong signals often come when there is a problem and it hits hard. For instance, you notice that you are not resting enough only when you are taken to the hospital. Weak signals are often overlooked, although they are frequent. For example, before going to the hospital, the person regularly felt drained, was nervous, family members mentioned they rarely saw him at home, and did not spend time together, and so on. These were weaker signals about future health problems that the person did not pay attention to.
To prevent such situations, monitoring of important activities is necessary, i.e., tracking what is happening in the project or life areas. Getting a comprehensive picture of what is happening: a list and description of important attention objects for key roles necessary to achieve the goal. Such monitoring is well set up in the activities of pilots. In flight, the aircraft commander (PIC) and the second pilot perform the roles of "pilot flying" and "pilot monitoring." The roles' distribution is agreed upon "on the ground," while in-flight, each focuses on their own tasks. The pilot flying is focused on direct flying (usually during takeoff/landing), while the pilot monitoring communicates with the air traffic controller and conducts cross-checks: reads control checklists, confirms that the pilot flying has taken the required action, or indicates when actions have not been performed. This role distribution allows for the fulfillment of all essential functions for safe flight, while simultaneously monitoring each other's actions.
In companies, there are usually key performance indicators or metrics used to track the state of important objects.