LESSON
What Is the Attention Economy?
How does tech hold our attention, and what can we do about it?
In today's digital world, our attention has become a valuable commodity that tech companies compete for. This lesson helps students understand the "attention economy"—how apps and platforms are designed to capture and monetize our attention through specific design tricks. Students will reflect on their own attention habits, recognize the tactics used to keep them engaged online, and develop practical strategies to align their tech use with what matters most to them.
Objectives
- Understand how and why tech companies use certain design tricks to hold our attention.
- Reflect on where they want to focus their attention in order to align their tech use with what matters most.
Vocabulary
Attention ·
Attention Economy ·
Design Tricks
Attention – the ability to focus your mind on something specific while ignoring other distractions around you
Attention Economy – the idea that attention is a limited resource that can be captured and sold
Design Tricks – features that technology companies use (like endless scrolling and autoplay) to capture user attention by playing on our psychology
Image
Topics
Time
20 mins.
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