Two thoughtful offerings in the latter category come from Oakland, California, artist Jenny Odell, author of How to Do Nothing: Resisting the
Attention Economy, and New Yorker writer Jia Tolentino, author of Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion (whose press materials describe her as "what Susan Sontag would have been like if she had brain damage from the internet").
In the so-called '
attention economy', every digital experience we have - whether on social media, news platforms or retailer sites - encourages us to spend more time, spend more money or share more of our data.
It drives sales, markets stuff on social media and creates winners in The
Attention Economy.
Andrew also plans to establish a new cabinet position called the Department of the
Attention Economy, to oversee social media.
"[I]t's probably more accurate to say that we were pushed into it by the high-end device companies and
attention economy conglomerates who discovered there are vast fortunes to be made in a culture dominated by gadgets and apps" (9).
Trolling is a very effective way to generate attention in a competitive, volatile
attention economy. It's a way to feel righteous and important, especially if you claim to be trolling on behalf of some marginalised group.
That we have become zombies in this
attention economy is perhaps an extreme picture.
"An interesting and stimulating book that makes you reflect on the continuous inputs we are receiving from the
attention economy," said one of the reviews in goodreads.com.
The competencies regarding information cover human rights literacy (especially the right to freedom of expression as each person's right to seek, receive and impart information and opinion); news literacy (including literacy about journalistic standards and ethics); advertising literacy; computer literacy; understanding of the '
attention economy'; intercultural literacy; privacy literacy; MIL is increasingly an essential life skill - needed to know how one can navigate information fog and avoid concealed mines within the mist.
The study uses a model for this
attention economy to suggest that the accelerating vicissitudes of popular content are driven by increasing production and consumption of content and therefore are not intrinsic to social media.
Future Focus 2019 explores how brands can build and nurture trust in the
attention economy to sustain their growth with integrity.