The Problem With the Attention Economy
The attention economy would work a lot better if Kim Kardashian's butt isn't constantly competing with the kids in the pool who I'm meant to be babysitting for my attention. You may think that social media outlets shouldn't be blamed for my own lack of self control. But none of us really have that much control over how we direct our attention and these companies will deliberately prey on this very human weakness to make billions on our inability to resist garish posts like 'What would your favorite celebrities look like if they put on 30 pounds?'
Yup just like me - a page full of social media apps and not a single notification
Preying on Your Insecurity
If you're anything like me, then you're probably checking your phone every 20 seconds just to make sure your new Facebook profile picture is still being ignored. Seeing that it is, you're frantically spamming Likes to hundreds of other posts from people who you only interactive with once a year when the darn thing tells you its their birthday, desperately hoping one of them will reciprocate. All the while you can faintly make out in the background someone yelling for you to put the phone away and to keep your eyes on the road while driving but you disregard them. For as far as you're concerned, the number of likes on your post over the next few hour will dictate your entire sense of self worth.
If someone like her is feeling insecure, then does anyone other than Megan Fox and George Clooney have a reason to live?
Social media companies will clutter up your news feed with the prettiest people going to the fanciest restaurants, encouraging us all to compete in a game where everyone's a loser except their shareholders. I spent weeks learning how to use Photoshop just so I could post pictures of myself working out at the gym. They know exactly how to exploit the insecure little teenager in every one of us - by which I mean our need for social validation, rather than implying that we're all having intercourse with a minor. Desperate for some attention, we'd rush for our phones to open up that new push notification only to be informed that a few friends were at a restaurant nearby and didn't think to invite us along.
Provoking Outrage
There are many things in life we know we don't want and we're also pretty good at not actively seeking them out. For example, I find it relatively easy to resist the temptation to receive a back rub from my grandma. Unfortunately, clips of racist tirades or cruelty to animals are often as unappealing as they are engaging and we often find ourselves sucked into a cesspool of hate and becoming troll food. We can't help it. We're evolved to react to provocation, especially if it's deliberate. That's why the advice 'just ignore him' never worked when Brady Baxter hanged you from your locker by your underpants in middle school. (And what a coincidence we went to the same school.) I suppose what I'm trying to say is I wish social media was more like getting a back rub from my grandma.
They see me trollin', they hatin'...
There now exists an entire industry with the sole purpose of eliciting a reaction out of people. Unfortunately it's easier to elicit negative reactions than positive ones - just ask any girl I've ever talked to at a singles club. But traditional social media companies value bad attention just as much as good, as long as the advertisement money keeps pouring in. Imagine what going to work would be like if vomiting into the water cooler and photocopying your ass crack was just as valued as closing big deals with important clients.
Summary
The incentives structure around traditional social media companies prevent them from distinguishing between different types of attentions. I wonder how successful they'd be if their ad campaigns read 'we pour millions into research to tailor the exact type of news feed that will piss you off the most!' Like your local heroin supplier they don't quite want you dead, because that's bad for business. But as long as you keep coming back for more, they're more than happy to sell your anger and self loathing to the highest bidder. And in return, they'll make sure you'll never forget a second cousin's roommate's brother-in-law's birthday ever again!
If you enjoyed this article please Upvote, Resteem, especially if you think non Steemit related posts are good for the platform, and Follow me @Trafalgar
haha awesome read! so true in so many ways
haha thanks for checking out one of my old posts
No Problem, I just thought you are a successful blogger on here, and I went back to a post where I noticed you seem to have an uptick in "Dollars" value. I felt maybe I could gain some insight in to how you are earning so much, and try to be as good so I can at least break the $1.00 mark. lol.
I'll be writing a comedy writing guide in a week or 2
It might be helpful, should be a little different to the other guides out there at least
I have a smart phone, and I have a Facebook account and a Twitter account.
But I never check any social media on my phone. And I don't like when people do that when in company.
So, I believe I am not much a victim of the "Attention Economy", and I doubt that the Facebook shareholders ever made more that 1 cent from my account.
Long time ago I decided to delete the fb app. I am much happier now that ALL my attention is fully dedicated to my 60 followers in Steem :-) happy Days!
Good for you. I'm a fb deleter myself.. 90 days and have never looked back. :)
haha good on you! I think the average person spends like an hour or 2 on facebook a day which is pretty insane
if you add the others and youtube it's closer to 3 hours...
I never could understand the idea behind FB.
I get it that it helps to keep in touch with friends, but people share everything from photos, fights, why would someone want to wash their dirty laundry in public? People share their most intimate secrets with the world - absolutely non-sense.
I only use FB to promote my business.
I try to follow same principle too. When I am in the company of someone, I avoid checking on my phone at all except otherwise.
You notice people get to meet instead of spending the quality time together, they will spend it with their phones - to talk to someone who isn't present. The physical interaction will soon be priceless!
This is the crazy thing I have ever read. Social media has no control over me at all. I am not compelled or manipulated into making this comment right now. I really really want to. It doesn't matter that my kitchen is currently on fire. Getting my thoughts out here immediately is essential. I can build a new kitchen.
It is an interesting universe when getting a back rub from grandma is the better option. But you are absolutely right. Although not really comfortable, its not filled with venom and malice either (for most people... as I have said before my grandma was a unique case).
hahahaha
There's probably an app you can get which will give you a notification when your kitchen is on fire so you can attend to it :)
I would then need a second app to allow me to ignore it so I could attend to the truly important things in life. Like memes!!!!
Wow, quite an eye opener it was, these days the physical life has come to zero and people think that what they show to others is what their life is, not what they actually living is. These days people don't go outside at cafeterias or pubs to enjoys and upload their status and pics, but they have to upload their pics that's why they have to go. And all these things are ruining habits of a lot of people. If anybody hasn't updated a cool pic at some cool place so all of the social friends starts thinking he is not enjoying life or he is very busy in his work and no time to enjoy. And in the middle of this, all the social media apps and companies are making billions of dollars Just to let people show off.
ya I completely agree, people don't even bother looking up from their phones anymore
that's why I think Steem is a breath of fresh air and can hopefully shake things up a bit for the better
Even I support steemit over other social networks. What good do social networks do to us anyway other than spoiling us. Now On steemit, Imagine you are drinking a 10$ coffee and put a selfie with a little bit of writing, and it can get you 50-60$ if you have a good following. You get paid to socialise. I AM LOVING IT
ya exactly, plus its a disincentive to elicit bad attention as people are hardly going to vote you up if you anger them
Another plus point and instead, people focus their energy on productive things in order to get more votes, so at the end there will be a very big positive effect on people through this.
It's really a shame, isn't it. People are so absorbed with self-entertainment, just with that little electronic wonder. I check FB about once a month. I've already told those who know me if you have something important to tell me, call or text. I view FB kind of like television. It's not necessary. We vote with our dollars (what we buy), the remote (what we watch), and time (what we pay attention to). Spend time with your friends and family, as they are the only things you can take with you when you leave...
Well done. It is a sad reality when we think of how much these "news" feed take away from our daily lives. It get worse when we examine the types of things we are devoting more and more of our time to, as you have done in this post. Hopefully more backrubs from grandma will help us to realize what is most important in our lives.
haha yay another vote for grandma backrubs :)
I was going to type grandma rubs but that brings up a different image...I wouldn't google it
That had me literally laughing out loud. Thanks!
Fortunately I never used facebook. But the numerous messengers aren't even better. Since I'm posting on steemit, I feel embedded into a great family of very good and cooperative authors. But I have to confess - I'm a little bit addicted to steemit.
Yeah for the first time we're getting an economy based on positive attention
I don't think pure provocation will get far on here which is nice
My friend great work! :)
thank you for sharing
thank you for having a look mars :)
Congratulations on becoming a whale, a couple of weeks ago. Your entry into Steemit was excellent timing :-)
haha thank you
I think technically I'm just half a whale :p
You have 1 billion Vests. That's the threshold for being a whale :-)
ah i dont even know what vests are other than sleeveless shirts/blazers
I have read what you wrote carefully, although I had to translate everything first, because the English language is not so common to me. But I've understood what you mean and I see it exactly. A community should live by "living together" and not just by the specifications of a few "dazzling" personalities. The "we" should shape us and not the search for what others have.
Yup exactly
thanks for putting the effort into reading it even when it's not your native language =)
I try and learn every day. I would like to understand what is written in other languages.
This really is the elephant in the room in modern society. I taught high school kids for many years and a large percentage of class time was spent trying to stop students using their phones. At first I blamed the school system, but after going to my first parents´evening and seeing that the parents also had their faces stuck in the phones the whole time, I realised that we are doomed!
I thought our teachers had a hard time back in the 90s
Couldn't begin to imagine how difficult it must be these days
Hopefully companies can become a little more ethically aware about the impact they have on their users
These days its not so much about teaching, but more about crowd control, entertainment and teaching to the exam...:)
The social media is a great tool to stay connected to people around the world and gather info real quick
and it can be bad...
so you have to know which category you fit in ;)
It's true, ultimately its free and a good way to stay connected
But it can take a toll on your life without you knowing if you're not careful :)
yeah true
time management is the key
or try to make money online
I think that industry of disgust, shock and awe has always been there; its just now more acessible than ever.
Manson was the 90s version, Liveleak and others are the modern smut / shock / outrage and it spreads to all social mediums with a much greater pace today.
We also get to jump on our moral high horse and publicly denounce the depicted acts even though deep down human curiosity is morbidly fascinated by the theatre of it.
yup it was always there but it's a lot easier to capitalize on it now
hopefully steem can see a shift in these things as a voting based rewards system compels one to contemplate over the type of attention they're provoking
nice
thank you :)
you're welcome :)
Great post & writing, gained a follow!
Thank you very much =)
My sentiments exactly. Great piece!
thank you :)
Clever,Good Read, Thank You
You're too kind, glad you enjoyed it =)
Thanks for the helpful info! I am learning a lot here!
thank you :)
I got off Facebook years ago. I still have the account as my parents like to post a lot and I check in weekly to see what the rest of my family is up to. Other than that, I never post or check it more than once a week. The main ones I use are Snapchat, Instagram, and sometimes twitter. Since I use Android, Snapchat's not my favorite as it is poorly optimized. But I use it because all of my other friends love it. If I'm going to post anything relevant, I'll use Instagram stories as I like the layout a lot more, picture quality is actually good, and I'm on Instagram the most. Twitter I'll just check if I'm bored in class. I'm all for privacy, but I know as soon as I signed up for these accounts, most of my privacy was gone. I'll get relevant ads based on places I went to throughout the week. It's uncomfortable, but we live in the age where privacy is dead unless you are completely unplugged from social platforms.
Ya I see where you're coming from
hopefully steem can shake these things up a bit because people generally only vote if you elicit a positive reaction from them
Humm, wondering... wondering... wondering..... positive reaction uhmm yeah.. rings a bell!! :)
Nice post. Now following!
Great paradigm, the one of the social networks! In the beginning, the same thing happened to me. I constantly hoped for the approval of others by taking a photo. I have the lucky to said, that is past and practically nor use facebook, twitter or instagram. I realized how stupid I was, to feel valued and with a growing self-esteem if my profile picture had many likes or not.
Worst of all is that now the politicians are making use of it. And they invade this medium with propaganda, ads and criticism. At least in my country, the ruling party's main means of diffusion is facebook and twitter.
The only thing I rescue are the reminders of birthdays since I'm a very distracted guy and I always forget. That function has saved my life practically.
Good Sunday, dear @trafalgar. Big hug!
haha thank tincho
ya steemit is a breath of fresh air as you can't just profit from being really good at angering people :)
Interesting post, @trafalgar! Makes you wonder what we spend our lives on ...
Yup, thanks for reading elenka :)
Very nice @trafalgar
Thats really great
thank you :)
Excellent post. You are on a roll!
thanks a lot dana, keep your insights coming in your posts too :)
I enjoyed reading it. Love these kind of posts, writing them myself as well. I follow you for that. Thanks a lot!
thanks a lot, nice post about the excuses of having a messy room :)
Thanks!
Good article! I will resteem XD
Thank you miggyfr :)
Social media manipulates us into thinking others are more actively traveling or eating out than they are. I think social media allows many to present a rosey picture of their lives, whether they are conscious of it or not. We are manipulated into thinking we should be more active, when we are likely as active or more so than the ones we are reading about. As always, self confidence is your shield.
Ya well said =)
Ty : - )
Great article! I don't blame you for deleting Facebook, it ruins your battery too.
Yup it sure does
thanks lifespring :)
Great post buddy and too true unfortunately!
thank you for reading tonyr
UpVoted, resteemed and following! great info! keep steeming on! ;)
thanks a lot em3di :)
Your Welcome @trafalgar!
The exact reasons I have never been a huge fan of most forms of social media. I pretty much only use my facebook account because I have some friends and family members that are much more likely to communicate with me on that then any other means.
And here's something I've noticed--there's even an incentive to constantly be on it, because if you're not, like me, you're much less likely to show up in people's feed.
*photo copying your ass crack is a highly underrated practice ;)
haha yeah we do need a way to keep in touch with our real life friends
my facebook feed is complete spam these days though
I wonder how it actually feels to photocopy your ass, is it hot? lol I should really try it
Is it hot? hahahaha, I'm crying...that can be taken a couple different ways, and both are freaking hilarious. You should try it...and make a post about it!!
And I just have to say this right now...Go Steem Go! (Then come down and just the right time for me to buy more, then sky rocket again)
A bit of this problem is cured by one thing; age. See I started my YouTube channel many moons ago. After the first month or so, it quickly became apparent I was not going to be the next PewDiePie. OK, so be it. So I decided to wholly embrace my old foggydom, as well as being the King of Boring. Now I can relax and just have fun. I don't give a rip whether anyone watches my vids or reads my posts. I post what I want, how, when, and where I want lol. I tell ya, there is a certain peace that comes from not caring :)
haha that's a pretty easy going laid back attitude you got going there :)
Much obliged. I like your style :)
wow! really good article
upvoted and resteemed :)
thank you very much
you're welcome !
Really great post!
thank you!
I quit Facebook in february, because they wanted my real name (and then joined Steemit). The only thing I missed about FB were the really clever political posts of a man I don't know in real life. So I made a fake account with a temporary email, just to login once a week and read his posts. The fake account has no friends and no likes.
I do not care about attention or popularity since 2003.
I think that's a pretty healthy attitude you have :)
Very well put. You said a lot of points, that I really wanted to dodge, but in reality, they really resonate for me. It's funny how things that most people pass off as ordinary have a powerful effect on a person's psyche. If this trend goes on, pretty soon we won't even know if whatever decision we made is truly ours. Powerful stuff, man. Great post!
Thanks a lot for reading jedau, glad you liked it :)
"Like your local heroin supplier they don't quite want you dead, because that's bad for business. But as long as you keep coming back for more, they're more than happy to sell your anger and self loathing to the highest bidder." - brilliant!
thank you :)
Congratulations @trafalgar!
Your post was mentioned in my hit parade in the following categories:
You look depressed, want to fuck?
You're too kind but I'm going to have to pass, I don't think we have matching STDs
Great article. It is true that my generation is particularly touched by this. I am not on facebook nor snapchat. I quit all those in the pursue of wealth.
I absolutely agreed with the fact that social media has influenced mankind for the past 10 years and the influence is often associated with the evolving changes of method of communication and technology. Thank you for sharing. @trafalgar
Wow, this was so insightful. I agree that social media is one of the biggest problems with the current generation. That is why everyone is so grumpy all the times and dissatisfied with their lives. The more attention someone gets the more they want and in today's world, attention = popularity, fame, money, etc.
That's why teenagers are more a-holes these days than is normal. They are just constantly pissed off as to why certain people didn't 'like' their photos or why a certain someone didn't comment back.
Pretty intense world we live in today.
haha ya but they're being manipulated by the big social media companies
WOW!Thank you for your big work, interesting information, Thank you for sharing!
Fantastic post, keep them coming!
This words for good day and your mood
And I want to give you a poem good word!
As arrows fly,
Days your will not regret,
Do a good deed
For the happiness of the people.
In order to heart blaze,
And was not in the mist
Do a good deed
So we living on earth!
I hear you - am guilty for always being online on social but i improved a bit i think, ask my wife - she is not the addicted one - re manipulation i think it depends on personality and experience - I am so old now and learned so many things.....:-)
They, the social media corps talk about targeted advertising but they hand out acidic crap to rip off both the advertiser and their users.
As far as advertising goes, it pays the bills and we could use it here at Steemit so that content providers received more.
There are a couple of good things about social media: I get to see and hear from my vast family which live far away and who I can now interact with an watch all my nephews and nieces grow up into smiling little chappies and chapettes.
Secondly, I was hacked like a big dog and social media was a way to store the information of my research and battles without it being destroyed. My computer went bust or I dropped my phone and I can connect and find most of the data just as I wrote it or photographed it and for that I thank them.
Anyways, we all must learn. We have to overcome our obstacles even if they are within ourselves. Social media like anything else, a crowd at a bar for example, is a barrier to find out just how much we like fame or the ability to meet someone and step back and say, do I really want to be with this person, are we compatible?
Today'a attention span doesn't go past 3 sentences, so that's why I keep my posts short and (not really) sweet.
haha ya that's true enough
Oh my god you poor thing you're such a victim. I can't help but go back to when I was 10 years old using excuses like that. If you don't have the self control to ignore Facebook long enough to get to a red light, you probably should turn your drivers license in for a bus pass.
Problem is I'm an incorrigible backseat bus driver :)
Narcissism, sadly it seems, a tool to divide and conquer. I'm so grateful for Weston Price, in my eyes he showed that tribes were beautiful because they were healthy. And they were healthy because they knew what to eat, cared for themselves and their tribe by using this primal need as a tradition.
And you can all scrap dentists, braces, glasses, social networks and sigh... Photoshop.
centralized social media are a gigantic surveilance tools. We need private decentralized communication as the first step towards our decentralized society we are going to be in 100 years.
