Key points
- Human attention is a scarce and valuable resource
- Companies design products and services to maximise the time users spend engaged
- Social media platforms utilise algorithms that prioritise emotionally stimulating content
ISLAMABAD: In today’s digital era, our attention has become a prized commodity, fiercely contested by tech giants, social media platforms, and advertisers. This phenomenon, known as the “attention economy,” has profound implications for our mental health, societal wellbeing, and the very fabric of our society.
The attention economy refers to the business model where human attention is treated as a scarce and valuable resource, according to Berkeley Economic Review, a journal of the University of California, Berkeley.
Companies, especially those reliant on advertising revenue, design their products and services to maximise the time users spend engaged. As information becomes increasingly abundant, users’ attention becomes the limiting factor in consuming content, according to Forbes, an American business magazine.
The attention economy operates on a simple yet powerful premise: human attention is a finite resource. Companies monetise this resource by designing platforms and content that captivate and retain user engagement.
Prioritising emotionally stimulating content
Social media platforms, for instance, utilise algorithms that prioritise emotionally stimulating content, often favouring sensational or negative news to keep users scrolling. A research article published in Oxford Academic titled “The Second Wave of Attention Economics: Attention as a Universal Symbolic Currency on Social Media and Beyond” states this strategy maximises user engagement, leading to increased advertising revenue.
A consequence of the attention economy is the prevalence of continuous partial attention—a state where individuals continuously scan for new information without fully engaging with any of it. This behaviour impairs working memory, reduces cognitive flexibility, and diminishes creative thinking.
Over time, it hampers neuroplasticity (the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to intrinsic or extrinsic stimuli), potentially weakening cognitive functions, reveals a study Multitasking or Continuous Partial Attention: A Critical Bottleneck for Digital Natives, published in ResearchGate.
Doomscrolling: Feeding on Negativity
Doomscrolling, the act of endlessly consuming negative news online, has emerged as a by-product of the attention economy. Driven by our inherent negativity bias, this behaviour leads to increased anxiety, stress, and depression. A 2024 survey by Morning Consult, an American business intelligence company, found that approximately 31 per cent of American adults engage in doomscrolling regularly, with higher percentages among younger demographics—46 per cent of millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and 53 per cent of Gen Z (individuals born between 1997 and 2012) adults.
The relentless competition for our attention has significant mental health repercussions. Excessive social media use is linked to issues such as poor attention span, brain fog (clouding of consciousness), decreased motivation, and disrupted sleep. Experts note that the brain’s reward system is manipulated by constant notifications and updates, leading to addictive behaviours and a decline in overall wellbeing.
Guadalupe Espinoza and colleagues, in their study, The pervasiveness, Connectedness, and Intrusiveness of Social Network Site Use Among Young Adolescents, polled 268 young adolescents specifically about social media and discovered that 37 per cent said they had trouble sleeping due to the use of social networking sites. Adolescents use social media for 54 per cent of their internet time.
Erosion of deep focus
The digital age has fragmented our attention spans, making sustained concentration increasingly rare. A study by the Centre for Attention Studies reported that nearly half of surveyed adults believe deep thinking is becoming scarce. This erosion of deep focus impacts creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities.
There is also a gender divide in behaviour, with women (54 per cent) more likely than men (45 per cent) to report being unable to stop checking their phone, according to a study, “Do We Have Your Attention” published by King’s College London.
The same study further explores that half of the public (49 per cent) feel their attention span is shorter than it used to be, compared with around a quarter (23 per cent) who believe they are just attentive as they have always been. Again, increased distraction is not just something reported by the young people—it is also a dominant concern among the middle-aged individuals, with 56 per cent of 35 to 54-year-olds believing their attention spans have worsened.
Surveillance capitalism
The attention economy has given rise to surveillance capitalism, where companies collect vast amounts of personal data to create personalised user experiences and target advertising. This practice raises ethical concerns about privacy, data misuse, and the reinforcement of biases through algorithm-driven content delivery.
Shoshana Zuboff, professor at Harvard Business School, in her new book, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, highlights the dangers of the digital revolution.
While the technological advancements may seem impressive, Zuboff argues that they have made us oblivious to how major tech companies exploit our data for profit. Zuboff warns that this practice undermines individual autonomy and democracy by using our information to predict and influence our behaviour.
Challenges to democracy
The commodification of attention poses challenges to democratic processes. The spread of disinformation and the creation of echo chambers hinder collective reasoning and informed decision-making.
As Chris Hayes discusses in his book, The Sirens’ Call: How Attention Became the World’s Most Endangered Resource, the struggle for our attention, orchestrated by technology and media industries, is a transformation as profound as industrial capitalism, impacting our ability to engage in democratic discourse.
Taking back the control
Educating users about the mechanics of the attention economy empowers them to make informed choices about their media consumption. Practices such as setting time limits on social media use, engaging with meaningful content, and designating tech-free zones can mitigate the negative effects of excessive screen time, according to Resilience Lab, which was co-founded by therapist and Columbia University professor Christine Carville, and technology entrepreneur Marc Goldberg. It tackles systemic root issues that impede mental health access.
