I’m going to have to do my best to not rant during this post.

There’s been a running joke on The Crunch that I mention Cal Newport too much. It’s a fair assessment. I like him because he writes books with concrete and actionable steps to take against problems facing the information age.

There’s no need to list all the problems and it’s impossible to list all their sources. But the biggest monster in the digital closet is something Matthew Crawford calls, “the Attention Economy.”

Attention Economy

I once watched a show on GSTV about how “beguile” means “to deceive or charm” and about how AI is a distinct possibility in the future. I’ve watched this particular episode about ten times. Not because I wanted to, but because I was a captive audience.

If you haven’t heard of GSTV, you’re not alone. It stands for “Gas Station TV” and it’s a total joke. At the gas station near my house, they have screens on the pump that play these little TV shows whenever you start pumping. They play the same one for about two months and I fill up every week, so I am an expert on what “beguile” means.

At first, I had no idea why they were showing me these while I pumped. But then I noticed: in the corner is a little ad for whatever awful microwave food the gas station wants to sell you.

This little video is part of the attention economy, namely how much a company will pay to show you an advertisement.

The attention economy buys and sells captive audiences. It’s why there are ads on credit card readers, bathroom stalls, and subway cars. Advertisers know that when you’re bored sitting somewhere, you’re easier to sell to.

It’s even better than television ads. We get mad at Mr. Clean for interrupting the series finale of Blue Bloods. But the little gecko on the side of the bus may be a welcome distraction from the annoying boredom you feel waiting for said bus.

We all knew our attention was being bought and sold. We just might not know how high the price is.

How Big is the Attention Economy?

Huge.

All you have to do is look at the most valuable companies in the world right now. Apple is worth the most, followed by Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet (Google).

And it’s no wonder why. They have a great little thing going. Apple and Microsoft sell you phones and computers, then Google tracks what you search on those computers so Amazon can advertise it to you while you search for other things.

What astounds me is that oil is barely in the top ten companies. How are digital products more valuable than the finite resource that ships those products? Because your attention makes the world go around. You can’t sell anything unless someone is looking at it.

I’ve talked about how phones are designed to hold your attention. Well, the attention economy is the reason they’re designed that way. Social apps, news sites, and mobile games are designed to be addictive so they can sell your attention to advertisers. As the old adage goes, “if it’s free, you’re the product.”

Engineering an app to be addictive is wrong. But the attention economy isn’t all that bad. People can make good money making good things because of it. Plenty of YouTube creators, podcasters, and bloggers make great content and are able to monetize it via sponsorships.

This content is great because it can be niched down, creativity isn’t controlled by executives, and it can be distributed for free.

Unfortunately, the wrong way to use attention is more popular.

Side Effects of Attention Economy

Using attention economy to fund long-form, free content is a great symbiotic relationship. The problem is when consumers are unaware of the negative effects of attention economy.

You know your phone is addictive, just look at your screen time stats. Companies like Facebook and Twitter capitalize on this addictiveness. Mobile ads are their greatest source of revenue.

The problem is, the world arounds us trains us for the digital space. We wouldn’t have been so welcoming to the ad-saturated world of social media if Times Square didn’t look the way it did. We’ve just come to accept advertising is everywhere.

All it takes is the question: why? Matthew Crawford brings up the example of a L’Oréal ad in a TSA bin at the airport. Why does that need to be there? I’m trying to catch a flight. Is the security checkpoint full of people thinking, “What kind of lipstick should I purchase?”

At least I board my flight with a little more confidence. Thank you, L’Oréal. I am worth it.

The only place of respite from the constant advertising is the airport lounge: a place you have to pay to get into. If that doesn’t convince you your attention is a commodity, I don’t know what will.

My favorite example are those little computers you get on your table at Applebee’s or Olive Garden. Nothing says “family dinner” like a screen blinking WANNA PLAY BUBBLE BLAST? ONLY 99 CENTS!

Our brains only have a finite amount of attention, which is why its harder to do anything except watch TV after a long day at work. These little withdrawals from our attention reserves line the pockets of businessmen, but they drain on our ability to have meaningful conversations at a restaurant or follow a train of thought in the airport.

Fighting Attention Economy

The sad part is, you can’t un-ring that bell. Once a company like Hair Cuttery realizes they can make money by putting an ad for shampoo on the ceiling where you get your hair washed, they’re not going to stop doing it.

At some point we have to admit most places in the public sphere are trying to grab our attention, and the best we can do is try to ignore it.

Plenty of places don’t, however. Libraries and coffeeshops are popular places to work in public because there are few intrusions. There’s a reason you don’t hear people say, “I’ve been writing my novel in the food court at the mall.”

Another solution is to get rid of the attention economy in your home. Limit screen time, especially television. Let yourself be away from things that demand your attention.

In public today, it’s a skill to be able to exist in silence. Most people can’t sit in a doctor’s office without their phone or an old tube TV playing the Good Times Channel. Learning how to exist in silence is the only way to combat the attention economy.