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View in browser  |  Your newsletter preferences Not yet a subscriber? By Eve Sneider | 05.20.23 Your time is money I like to think that I'm choosing what I pay attention to: my friends, my work, Elon Musk's latest interview, New York City's glorious spring weather. But is attention really something you allocate of your own volition? Often, especially online, it feels like the content I consume is demanding my attention. The siren songs of blue light and flashy videos insist that I keep watching. What was the last thing that captured your attention involuntarily? By now, the concept of the "attention economy" is likely familiar to just about anyone who has visited a webpage or clicked on a hyperlink. In the 1990s, scholar and writer Michael H. Goldhaber alighted on the expression while thinking through the idea that attention is currency in cyberspace. His 1997 story for WIRED, "Attention Shoppers!", is one of the first descriptions of the attention economy. "The very act of paying attention may seem voluntary, but often it is not completely so," he writes. "There is a definite element of compulsion involved. It's no coincidence that people say things like, 'I have to check out that web site,' 'You've gotta watch that show,' or 'That book is a must read.' And each of those activities takes physical as well as mental effort." I want to hear about the things that you find yourself getting sucked into online. Animal adoption videos? The latest news on Donald Trump? Tell me more in the comments below Goldhaber's story. As he points out, part of the reason there's so much at stake in how we pay attention is that it can't actually be bought, even if it seems like a commodity. "As the attention economy becomes dominant, the advertising industry won't exist as it does today, since its point is to induce people to spend money," he wrote. "In the future, ads will exist only to attract and direct attention, because money will be obsolete." That may be a stretch, but I think he was onto something. Let me know what you think. Or, if the piece just didn't hold your attention, tell me about that, too. See you next week! Eve Eve Sneider, Deputy Ideas Editor Read the Full Story Originally published in December 1997 SUBSCRIBE TO READ THIS STORY  The New Economy Doesn't Want Your Money—Just Your Attention Attention is a fundamental desire that's intrinsically, unavoidably scarce. History can help us understand this radical theory of value. You Might Also Like How to Break Out of Your Social Media Echo Chamber Platforms like Facebook are designed to profit from humans' confirmation bias. Here's how to restore balance to your feed. Why You Stay Up So Late, Even When You Know You Shouldn't There are certain traits that lend themselves to "revenge bedtime procrastination." There's also a way out. How to Save Yourself From Notification Overload You get too many rings and blips and squawks on your smartphone. Here's how to shut them up. A Brief History of Smartphone Notifications A conversation with Matías Duarte, one of the designers of Android, about how notifications grew from an idea to a relentless buzz. ADVERTISEMENT Social Service Saviors Last week's Classics highlighted Jessi Hempel's 2016 story about the women who helped build Silicon Valley. I asked you all to tell me which other unsung heroes you'd want to read about. Mandy W commented: "The people who manage to keep humongous government systems like Social-Security, IRS, and Medicare functioning at some level despite ever-changing, sometimes contradictory specs (often thrown at them at the last minute) by Congress; barely sufficient funding; and no prospects of fame or fortune (or even respect) for a challenging job well done."   Tell me about your favorite WIRED stories and magazine-related memories, and each week I'll feature one of you here. Write to me at eve_sneider@wired.com, and include "CLASSICS" in the subject line. Or, simply join the conversation by posting a comment below the article. GET WIRED Get WIRED for just $29.99 $5. That includes subscriber-only content like Steven Levy's Plaintext column, plus free stickers! Subscribe now. ADVERTISEMENT Have questions or comments? Reply to this email.   This email was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our email address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2023. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.