1. The Dawn of
the Attention
Economy
Sarah Morreau
Twitter: @LicensingGeekPhoto Credit: Roger Mahler
I pause to think; “What will I do differently in 2018?” The single most important thing that
comes to mind. I will endevor to be more aware. And with that awareness, to create, to act,
stand for what I believe in and love those around me. Time is the greatest of all gifts but not
without awareness. Awareness is truly a more finite resource than time. Time flows past us in a
blur of activity, sound, music and lights. How often are we aware and concentrating on
creating something, theorizing, inventing, changing the outcome of the rapidly
approaching future?
We have a false sense that we are more informed than ever. In reality this hyper connected
world is designed to lull us in, make us blissfully unaware. We jam our senses with photos,
videos and music, every waking minute we are inundated. We wear ourselves down searching
our devices absorbing truths, half-truths and erroneous information, too tired to be aware.
We have invited devices into our homes that listen to us, track us, provide convenience but
demand our attention. We think we know what is happening on the world stage. How events
are shaping the future but are we apart of that future or a passive listener? When do we
pause? When do we think? When do we act? Our devices have taught our brains to seek
reward in blinking lights and tiny emoji’s with little thumbs up. To buy, to consume, to
desire a reaction.
We should know by now that we are being fed, watched, tracked, monitored and marketed
to. We are being assessed and analyzed. We are hooked. Your attention will increasingly
become more monetized than ever before and you are not the one profiting.
Your attention, your awareness is the new economy. Welcome to 2018.
