The Attention Economy

For all the sophistication of a world in which most of our waking hours are spent consuming or interacting with media, we have scarcely advanced in our understanding of what attention means. Attending is closely connected to anticipation. Soldiers snap to attention to signify readiness and respect. Teachers shout 'Pay attention!' at slumped students whose thoughts have meandered, calling them back to the place they're in. Time, presence and physical attentiveness are our most basic proxies for something ultimately unprovable: that we are understood.

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