Attention Consumerism

An economic and cultural system where human attention is the primary currency. Platforms and media compete not for money but for seconds of focus, which they then sell to advertisers. Attention consumerism fragments concentration, rewards outrage and novelty, and treats sustained thought as a loss of revenue. It transforms every user into a product whose attention is mined, packaged, and auctioned.

Example: “She intended to read for ten minutes, but the infinite scroll consumed two hours—attention consumerism, where her focus was the inventory and the platform was the shoplifter.”

Attention Consumerism by Abzugal Nammugal Enkigal April 21, 2026