What category does Attention Capitalism belong to?

Attention Capitalism belongs to the "Concepts" category in personal knowledge management and productivity.

What are the key topics related to Attention Capitalism?

Key topics related to Attention Capitalism include: attention, economics, technologies, societies, criticism.

Attention Capitalism

Q: What are alternative names for Attention Capitalism?

Attention Capitalism is also known as: Surveillance capitalism, Digital capitalism, Platform capitalism.

An economic system where capturing and monetizing attention is the primary business model.

Also known as: Surveillance capitalism, Digital capitalism, Platform capitalism

Category: Concepts

Tags: attention, economics, technologies, societies, criticism

Explanation

Attention capitalism describes the economic system where capturing and monetizing human attention is the dominant business model. Unlike industrial capitalism (producing goods) or service capitalism (providing services), attention capitalism treats attention as the primary resource to be extracted. Major tech companies exemplify this: their products are designed not just for utility but for maximum attention capture, because attention translates to advertising revenue and data. Attention capitalism has societal implications: it incentivizes addictive design, sensationalized content, and optimization for engagement over wellbeing. Critics argue it's exploitative - users don't fully consent to or understand the attention extraction. Defenders note it enables free services and content accessibility. For knowledge workers, understanding attention capitalism helps: recognize when you're the product not the customer, evaluate attention costs of 'free' services, and protect attention as a valuable personal resource in a system designed to capture it.

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