“The Attention Economy and the Net”, by Michael H. Goldhaber
The attention economy brings with it its own kind of wealth, its own class divisions – stars vs. fans – and its own forms of property
The Net is a virtual market where every product ends up being the same product -Information. But Information is ubiquitous and excessive, resulting in a superabundance which cheapens it. Therefore, every product offered in the Net loses value, which is particularly true when that product is a kind of information from the beginning (say software or recorded music). In this context, the author tries to underline the increasing importance of “the attention” as a trade good: the most effective way (the only way?) to add value to a product is by getting and retaining the attention of the public over it. This may as a result make Attention itself become a form of currency, the wealth to seek and the basis for a new economic system where “paying attention” will literally hold to the meaning.
The paper is very well written, amusing (a real plus given the subject), and might help to better understand and analyze recent developments in advertising techniques, like as seen here.