attention economy

plural attention economies

1. economicsAn economic system where human attention is a scarce and monetized resource, driving competition among businesses, media, and digital platforms.

   On this level, the practice of doing nothing has several tools to offer us when it comes to resisting the attention economy.

   2019, Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy, Melville House, →ISBN

   4 more examples

   Understanding and managing attention is now the single most important determinant of business success. Welcome to the attention economy.

   2001, Thomas H. Davenport, John C. Beck, The Attention Economy: Understanding the new currency of business, Boston: Harvard Business School Press, →ISBN, page 3

   There will always be pockets that exist outside of the attention economy. But more and more, things are falling within the purview, including politics.

   2025 July 8, Ezra Klein, quoting Kyla Scanlon, “How the Attention Economy Is Devouring Gen Z — and the Rest of Us”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC

   Here’s the thing about [Tucker] Carlson: he has lots of odious views, but, unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of ignoring him. He’s not a fringe figure: he knows how to work the attention economy.

   2026 April 28, Arwa Mahdawi, “Is Tucker Carlson eyeing a 2028 presidential run?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

   I wonder if the difference here is that, unlike the previous two seasons, Euphoria’s final turn exists in the “attention economy”, where algorithms reward controversial, polarizing figures.

   2026 April 29, Louis Staples, “Tradwives, sugar babies and OnlyFans: Euphoria’s misogyny feels like the manosphere’s wet dream”, in The Guardian, →ISSN