attention economy
/əˈtɛnʃn ɪˈkɒnəmi/
Meaning
This term treats human attention as a scarce commodity that businesses and digital platforms compete to capture. It is widely used in sociology, marketing, and media studies to describe how modern platforms design algorithms to maximize user engagement. The tone is academic, analytical, and objective.
Examples
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In the attention economy, a user's screen time is directly tied to a company's advertising revenue.
In the attention economy, a user's screen time is directly tied to a company's advertising revenue.
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Social media algorithms are designed to exploit our psychology to succeed in the attention economy.
Social media algorithms are designed to exploit our psychology to succeed in the attention economy.
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Many journalists argue that the attention economy has ruined the quality of online news reporting.
Many journalists argue that the attention economy has ruined the quality of online news reporting.
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To survive in the modern attention economy, brands must create highly engaging, bite-sized content.
To survive in the modern attention economy, brands must create highly engaging, bite-sized content.
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We need to teach children digital literacy so they can navigate the attention economy safely.
We need to teach children digital literacy so they can navigate the attention economy safely.
Common Mistakes
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✗ We live in an attentive economy where apps want our time.
✓ We live in an attention economy where apps want our time.
The phrase uses the noun 'attention' as a noun adjunct, not the adjective 'attentive'.
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✗ The company wants to win our economy of attention.
✓ The company wants to win in the attention economy.
'Attention economy' is a fixed compound noun and should not be rephrased as 'economy of attention'.
Related Expressions
Practice
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With so many apps fighting for our focus, we are firmly living in the ___.
💡 The economic system where human focus is the primary commodity.
Show answer
attention economy
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Notifications and infinite scroll are tools designed to capture value in the ___.
💡 Two words, starting with 'a' and 'e'.
Show answer
attention economy