Monetisation of attention

Have you ever been sucked into the attention vortex?

I have. Many times, in fact. I admit it.

It’s not entirely our fault. World class psychologists are employed to keep us glued to our screens. Does this dilemma sound familiar to you? What can we do about it?

Social media

I enjoy Facebook. Without it, where would I show off my pretty photos? It’s a good way to be salt and light (as a follower of Jesus) amongst my peers who are also on Facebook. Yes, I know, Facebook is becoming a bit of a hangout for middle-aged people. That’s why I am comfortable there.

I’m not on Instagram or Twitter or any other form of social media. I don’t have anything against them, but I don’t want to spend any more time online. In fact, I probably spend too much time on social media as it is. Why do we do it? What keeps us clicking?

I am genuinely interested in my friends’ lives. And enjoy following the adventures of people I don’t know well but who are my ‘Facebook friends’. Part of it, I admit, is the dopamine rush I get from people liking my pretty pictures. A lot of research and effort has gone into keeping us clicking.

You see, we are the product that Facebook and other forms of social media are selling to the advertisers. The longer we stay online, the more targeted advertising we watch and the more likely we are to spend money on the products promoted by these advertisers.

That’s why these companies strive to keep us clicking. Our attention is worth a lot of money.

Television

It’s been a good day but now I’m tired. I settle into my armchair, legs up, the cat snuggling beside my smelly feet. I pick up the remote and flick channels.

Why do I do this? Why do I fill my mind with mindless stuff? It’s restful – yes – but there are other ways to rest, surely? Music, for example, or a relaxing book.

Even when I deliberately choose to watch something particular on catch up TV, I find myself mindlessly watching the advertisements. Why do I watch the advertisements? I’ve seen some of them tens of times – why am I watching them again? Why not mute the TV and do something slightly useful for two minutes – tidy the table or do a round of review items on my language learning app?

Sometimes I do mute the advertisements but not usually. And that’s why the TV shows are free to air – free for us at least. Actually they’re not free at all, for again, our attention is the product which is being sold to advertisers. We pay, but with attention rather than money.

The gadget I use to watch catch-up TV (my iPad) often recommends shows it thinks I would enjoy. Its suggestions are often good. They have algorithms designed to track what we like to watch. That’s clever and that’s the point. The more attention we give to TV stations, the more money is made from advertising.

That’s why these TV stations strive to keep us watching. Our attention is worth a lot of money.

So what?

So what? Does it matter if we choose to pay attention to things such as social media and TV shows?

Choosing – that’s the point. I want to choose where I pay attention.

There are a great many things I want to do, see, read, learn, and even cook. There are things I need to clean too, and projects to complete, administration to plod through and more. My time is limited. Like everybody, I only have 24 hours in a day. How am I going to use my time well? Where am I going to focus my attention?

That’s the point of this blog post. I have been thinking about the monetisation of attention. I am willing to give a little of my attention to the advertisers through the companies providing these so-called ‘free-to-me’ benefits. But I don’t want to be sucked in to the attention vortex of social media or television or anything else.

I need limits, but limits are not encouraged by these companies. You can’t blame them in a way. They exist to make money. That’s the world we live in.

By recognising when I am at risk of being manipulated to pay more attention than I am willing for their services, I am better able to stop.

That’s the point of this blog post. Let us use these tools wisely, but not be unhealthily sucked into the attention vortex.

The final word

Today’s ponderings are contemporary but not new. I shall let the apostle Paul, from a distant land and time, have the final word on this matter.

Be very careful, then, how are you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Ephesians 5:15-16 NIV