January 10, 2026 · 9 min read

Attention Economy: Why Your Focus is the New Currency

In the digital age, you are not the customer—you are the product. More specifically, your attention is the product being sold to advertisers. Welcome to the attention economy, where the most valuable resource isn't oil or data—it's your focus.

What is the Attention Economy?

The term "attention economy" was coined by psychologist Herbert Simon in 1971. He observed that in an information-rich world, information consumes attention. Therefore, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.

Today, this concept has become the dominant business model of the internet. Companies like Meta, Google, TikTok, and Twitter don't sell products to you—they sell your attention to advertisers. The more time you spend on their platforms, the more money they make.

The Numbers Are Staggering

• The average person spends 2.5 hours daily on social media
• We check our phones 96 times per day—once every 10 minutes
• The average attention span for a single task has dropped to 47 seconds
• It takes 23 minutes to fully refocus after an interruption

The Arms Race for Your Mind

Tech companies employ thousands of engineers, psychologists, and designers with one goal: to capture and hold your attention. Tristan Harris, former Google design ethicist, calls this "the race to the bottom of the brain stem."

These companies use sophisticated techniques:

• Infinite scroll: No natural stopping points
• Autoplay: Content keeps coming without action
• Push notifications: Constant interruptions and triggers
• Social validation: Likes, comments, and shares as rewards
• Algorithmic curation: Content optimized for engagement, not wellbeing

The Real Cost of Distracted Living

When your attention is constantly fragmented, the consequences extend beyond lost time:

Cognitive Costs

Research by Gloria Mark at UC Irvine shows that fragmented attention leads to higher stress, more errors, and less creative thinking. Your brain isn't designed for constant task-switching.

Opportunity Costs

Every hour spent scrolling is an hour not spent on deep work, meaningful relationships, exercise, sleep, or pursuits that genuinely fulfill you.

Identity Costs

When algorithms curate your information diet, they shape how you see the world and yourself. You may be consuming a distorted view of reality without realizing it.

Reclaiming Your Attention

The attention economy isn't going away, but you can become a more conscious participant:

1. Recognize Your Attention's Value

Start treating your attention as the precious, finite resource it is. Would you give a stranger $10? Then why give them an hour of your attention?

2. Create Attention Budgets

Decide in advance how much attention you want to allocate to social media. Treat it like a budget—when it's spent, it's spent.

3. Use Tools Strategically

Leverage technology to fight technology. Apps like Stop Doomscroll create intentional interruptions that return agency to you.

4. Design Your Environment

Remove apps from your home screen, turn off notifications, and create physical spaces free from screens.

"What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention." — Herbert Simon

The Attention Revolution

We're at a turning point. More people are recognizing that their attention is being exploited and demanding better. The rise of digital wellbeing tools, screen time features, and movements like Digital Minimalism signal a growing resistance.

Your attention is your life. Where you direct it determines who you become. In the attention economy, the most radical act may be simply choosing where to focus.