The Problem of the Attention Economy and Its Implications

• In Event: Addressing Educational Challenges: Justice, Rural Higher Ed, Pandemic Impact, Attention Economy, and Urban Gentrification

Abstract

The internet, which provides billions with an abundance of information and resources, led to a shift from an information economy to an attention economy, where the scarce resource is no longer information, but instead the finite amount of attention people have in a day to consume it. This creates a world where digital attention economy businesses like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and various social media sites like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok compete against each other to capture and exploit as much user attention as possible, often prioritizing profits over user well-being.
This paper argues, through the use of academic studies and journals, that the current attention economy is an unethical and unsustainable system that must be fundamentally reformed. This is because it violates fundamental human rights and dignity and negatively impacts individuals and society as a whole. This paper examines how social media uses and applies various psychologically proven methods like variable reinforcement and slot machine mechanics that are intended to addict the user and invasive algorithms (the design of which is not available to the public) that collect and sell user information as well as promote violent and damaging content. It also examines how these mechanisms impact individual productivity and our collective attention spans, cultural values, and politics. Furthermore, this paper also examines how all these factors violate our human rights by using Martha Nussbaum’s ten human capabilities of dignity and our human rights outlined by the United Nations. Lastly, this paper considers how the attention economy could be transformed into a sustainable, safe, and ethical system through applying the UN’s ten Conscious Attention Economy Principles.

Author

• Julia Mieszkowicz, Independent Researcher