The 'attention economy' is far more than online...A word of warning to the addicted...

'...the attention economy describes a state in which, on a Web site, the content, product, or service being offered is important but hardly sufficient...'

'...A central characteristic of the attention economy, is the relative end of economic scarcity and general fulfillment of human needs. In the attention economy, consumers generally are free of want for life's necessities and comforts...'
https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/attention-economy (edited).

The second paragraph pretty much sums up the flaws in the whole concept. It's central theme is one of a utopian vision. It's one that's technocratic (socialist) in nature.
Ergo - it's doomed to fail.
Hopefully tens of millions of corpses won't strewn along the way, to prove just how stupid the fundamental concept is.
'....consumers generally are free of want for life's necessities and comforts... . FFS !
Reality, please !

My post has nothing to with this, but does need to be pointed out first.

.....WHERE FOCUS GOES, ENERGY FLOWS...

This post is a warning.

A warning about value.
A warning about the misallocation of value.

What it is that you REALLY value?

Back to basics....
Time is the fundamental currency of human beings.
It's the one commodity that we, as individuals, fully own.

Online activity is one of those things that really takes away - sucks - that time away from you (and all in a very sneaky way, to).

How much of your time do you allocate to your online activities?

Do you ever sit down and really calculate the value of your time that you willingly give over to online pursuits?

I've even seen it written that for some, allocation of 'free time' is split evenly - 50/50 - between being online, and time spent with the family.

If actions DO speak louder than words (and they really , really do), it's not difficult to extrapolate that the person who gives giving 50% of their free time to the internet, (rather than family and close relationships) must - by definition of action - value that time, as equally valuable.

What then, does that say about the value system of the person involved?
Does that resonate with you? (ouch).

Everyone is free to allocate their time as they see fit - I'm all for free will, that's not the point.

I'm not judging anyone for how they choose to spend their free time, I'm interested in the internal value structure of the person that does separate their leisure hours, 50-50 , between being connected online, and real, human, connections.

Do you ever consciously evaluate , the value of your free time?

If, say, you give over 50% of your free time to the internet and also 50% attention to your family (and friends) - what does that say about the value system that's employed?

Actions speak louder than words, and where focus goes, energy flows.

So if 50% of your focus - your energy - is spent online (rather than time spent on close personal relationships ), what does that say?

...and even more importantly..
What messages does that send to a partner or family, to intimate relationships?
What does your actions tell them about you, and how you value them?

Does this mean that they are of equal value?
The same value as the internet!
They must be, if you are using your 'free time allocation' as a barometer.

Do your close personal relationships have exactly the same level of importance to you, as a box of silicon and a phone line?

Priorities matter and actions cannot be glossed over like words can.

Action tells the truth of the matter far more accurately than any persuasively honed verbiage...

Addiction:

...An obsessive - or habitual - behavior.

If your partner spent exactly 50% of their free time in the casino, or taking drugs, rather than spending quality time with family - you'd see them as probably having an obsessive addiction.

Time allocation - and internet use - is no different.

....I wonder how many guys are sat down in front of their precious screens, listening to the door close as their family leaves them, never to return....

Do they sit there, shocked and uncomprehending as to the why this has happened to them?

....Maybe they can find out the answers , if they can just google it...