{"id":1041,"date":"2025-10-15T18:32:04","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/?p=1041"},"modified":"2025-11-25T23:52:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T19:52:36","slug":"what-is-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/science\/psychology\/what-is-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Attention &amp; How Has It Become a Resource?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What if the very thing that shapes your reality has become the most valuable commodity in the modern economy? Attention isn&#8217;t just something we occasionally lose to our phones or social media\u2014it&#8217;s the fundamental substance of our conscious experience, and it&#8217;s being systematically extracted and monetized by powerful digital platforms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By understanding how both voluntary and involuntary attention systems work, we can better grasp why maintaining focus has become increasingly difficult in our hyperconnected world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-what-attention-is-and-isn-t\" data-level=\"2\">What Attention Is (and Isn&#8217;t)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-attention-has-become-an-extractable-resource\" data-level=\"2\">Attention Has Become an Extractable Resource<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-emergence-of-the-attention-economy\" data-level=\"3\">The Emergence of the Attention Economy<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-learn-more-about-attention-spans\" data-level=\"2\">Learn More About Attention Spans<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-attention-is-and-isn-t\">What Attention Is (and Isn&#8217;t)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Every moment of every day, you\u2019re paying attention to something. Whether you\u2019re reading a book, listening to music, having a conversation, or simply daydreaming, your mind is constantly directing your focus toward specific information while filtering out everything else. Hayes argues that <strong>attention is not merely something we do:<\/strong> <strong>It\u2019s the fundamental substance of our conscious experience<\/strong>. Without attention, there would be no awareness, no thought, no perception of the world around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Psychology of Attention<\/strong><br><br>What does attention mean in psychological terms? Psychologists have long described attention as something you do deliberately. In other words, <em>attention <\/em>is your choice to concentrate on a single task or experience at any given moment. However, in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/attention-span\/preview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attention Span<\/a>,<\/em> Gloria Mark explains that in practice, attention is much more complicated. <strong>While you can direct some of your attention by choice, much of your attention is out of your conscious control.<\/strong> <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This mental capacity operates through two mechanisms: voluntary and involuntary. (Shortform note: Mark calls this &#8220;executive&#8221; and &#8220;automatic&#8221; attention.) <strong>Voluntary attention<\/strong> is the conscious, intentional focusing of our minds on a particular task or object. When you deliberately concentrate on reading while ignoring background noise, you\u2019re exercising voluntary attention. This type of focus requires effort and cognitive control, since you have to actively suppress distractions and maintain concentration on your chosen target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Involuntary attention<\/strong>, by contrast, operates automatically, and you can\u2019t consciously control it. When a loud crash occurs nearby, your attention immediately shifts to the sound regardless of your intentions. Hayes explains that this involuntary response evolved as a survival mechanism: Our ancestors needed to quickly detect potential threats or opportunities in their environment. Bright flashes, sudden movements, unexpected sounds, and perceived dangers all trigger involuntary attention shifts that bypass our conscious will entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Hayes\u2019s distinction between voluntary and involuntary attention aligns with research on what scientists call <a href=\"https:\/\/direct.mit.edu\/jocn\/article\/36\/5\/815\/119427\/Neural-Signatures-of-Competition-between-Voluntary\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cendogenous\u201d (internally directed) and \u201cexogenous\u201d (externally triggered) attention<\/a>. Studies show that when exogenous attention is triggered\u2014perhaps by a sudden notification\u2014the interruption interferes with our ability to maintain endogenous focus. The interference occurs because both systems <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2022.12.23.521791v1.full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rely on shared neural pathways<\/a> in the brain. In other words, we have trouble maintaining voluntary focus while being exposed to involuntary attention triggers because they make competing demands for the same cognitive resources.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The interplay between these two systems allows humans to balance focused concentration on a specific task with awareness of important changes in our surroundings. This <strong>attention mobility<\/strong>\u2014our ability to shift focus rapidly between different stimuli and mental processes\u2014proved crucial for our ancestors\u2019 survival and remains essential for navigating complex modern environments. It lets you engage with relevant information while maintaining awareness of what\u2019s around you\u2014like reading a news article on your phone while walking down the street. However, this same mobility makes you vulnerable to exploitation by forces designed to capture your attention and turn it into an extractable resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Whether conscious or not, attention-switching burdens us with decisions. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-organized-mind\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The Organized Mind<\/em><\/a>, Daniel J. Levitin argues that when you\u2019re bombarded by information, as we all are in the digital world, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-organized-mind\/1-page-summary#our-big-problem-the-modern-world-is-overwhelming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">you have to constantly decide what to pay attention to<\/a>, which can be exhausting even if most decisions are trivial\u2014such as whether to read an email now or later. Levitin explains that your brain can only make a limited number of decisions per day, it doesn\u2019t distinguish between their importance, and it spends the same amount of energy on each one. This leads to decision fatigue, which may not sap your attention but hampers how much you can control it.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Four Modes of Attention<\/strong><br><br>Productivity experts talk about focus as an \u201call or nothing\u201d condition\u2014you\u2019re either paying uninterrupted attention, or you\u2019re not. However, Gloria Mark insists that this is an oversimplification. Her research shows that <strong>we experience four distinct modes of attention\u2014concentration, mechanical attention, apathy, and irritation.<\/strong> Which state you\u2019re in is determined by how difficult and engrossing what you\u2019re doing is.<br><br><strong>1. Concentration:<\/strong> Mark says we\u2019re most able to focus our attention when what we\u2019re doing is both difficult and engrossing, such as editing a novel, designing a business plan, coding a new piece of software, or distilling reams of data into a presentation.<br><br><strong>2. Mechanical:<\/strong> Mark describes mechanical attention as the mental state that occurs when what we\u2019re doing is engrossing but easy, as when doing routine work such as data entry, collating files, or checking inventory. This attention state also occurs when performing \u201cmindless\u201d activities like checking social media or rewatching your favorite movies.<br><br><strong>3. Apathy:<\/strong> This occurs when what you&#8217;re doing is neither difficult nor engrossing, such as sitting through an endless presentation. It also includes \u201cidle time\u201d in which there isn\u2019t pressing work to do at all.<br><br><strong>4. Irritation:<\/strong> Mark\u2019s fourth attention category occurs when what you&#8217;re doing is difficult but not engrossing, such as trying to clear a paper jam from a copier.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-attention-has-become-an-extractable-resource\"><strong>Attention Has Become an Extractable Resource<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Hayes draws a direct parallel between attention and other resources that have been commodified throughout history. Just as industrial capitalism transformed human labor into a commodity that could be bought, sold, and exploited, the digital age has transformed human attention into an extractable resource.<strong> <\/strong>He explains that <strong>attention, like labor, represents something intimate and essential to human experience <\/strong>that can be separated from the person and converted into economic value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Marx noted that capitalism alienates workers from their labor, whereas Hayes shows how digital platforms alienate us from our attention. Apple TV\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt11280740\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Severance<\/em><\/a> literalizes the next step: Workers undergo a procedure separating their work and personal identities, alienating them <a href=\"https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/382483200_An_Investigation_of_Marxist_Alienation_in_the_Postmodern_Workplace_in_Apple_TV's_Severance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">from their own consciousness<\/a>. Each of these stages represents a deeper psychological invasion: While factory workers could think their own thoughts at work, and attention-economy participants realize they\u2019re distracted, <em>Severance<\/em>\u2019s workers <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@k.kozmana\/severance-is-a-marxist-show-and-its-about-us-69c08d20944a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">surrender their consciousness<\/a> so completely they exist as different people at work\u2014suggesting the endpoint of commodifying mental resources is the fracturing of human identity into economically useful fragments.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The attention extraction process works by targeting our involuntary focus mechanisms<\/strong>. Tech platforms and media companies have learned to trigger the automatic responses that evolved to detect threats and opportunities\u2014and to make these responses serve commercial purposes rather than survival. A push notification creates the same neurological urgency as a predator\u2019s growl. An infinite scroll of content mimics the unpredictable rewards that kept our ancestors searching for food. Bright colors, rapid scene changes, and conflict-driven content all exploit the involuntary attention systems that once helped humans survive in dangerous environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>How Social Media Exploits Your Brain\u2019s Survival Mechanisms<\/strong><br><br>Research confirms Hayes\u2019s argument that social media companies deliberately exploit neurological systems that evolved to keep you alive, targeting the same reward pathways in your brain that respond to food, sex, and social connection. When you get a notification, your brain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.internetjustsociety.org\/your-brain-on-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">releases a hit of dopamine<\/a>\u2014the \u201cfeel-good\u201d chemical\u2014both from the actual reward (like a message) and from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amenclinics.com\/blog\/10-scary-ways-social-media-is-changing-your-brain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anticipating potential rewards<\/a> (seeing the notification). Social media apps intentionally hold back notifications and then release them in batches to build anticipation. They also take advantage of how your brain naturally focuses more on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.humanetech.com\/brain-science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">negative or threatening information<\/a>, which is why angry or scary content spreads faster online.<br><br>These platforms also constantly ping the part of your brain that\u2019s supposed to alert you to real dangers\u2014except now it\u2019s responding to trivial updates that only <em>feel <\/em>urgent. Studies show this can actually <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC6502424\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">change your brain structure<\/a>, shrinking the areas responsible for decision-making and self-control, and disrupting how your brain forms memories. Over time, you need to check your phone more often to get the same dopamine hit, and you feel <a href=\"https:\/\/healthmatters.nyp.org\/how-social-media-use-affects-adolescent-brain-development\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anxious or irritated<\/a> when you try to cut back. These systems essentially train your brain to respond to artificial stimuli instead of real life, undermining your ability to make conscious choices about how to spend your attention.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hayes explains that <strong>the extraction of our involuntary attention happens at a neurological level before our conscious minds can intervene.<\/strong> A flashing advertisement or breaking news alert captures our focus, and by the time we realize we\u2019ve been distracted, our attention has already been redirected away from our chosen activities and toward profit-generating content. This differs fundamentally from traditional media consumption. When you choose to buy a newspaper or attend a movie, you decide to allocate your attention in exchange for information or entertainment. Hayes argues that modern attention extraction operates through compulsion rather than choice, using psychological manipulation to capture your focus against your will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Research suggests that what Hayes frames as involuntary \u201ccapture\u201d of our attention may sometimes involve deliberate choices to seek emotional fulfillment that\u2019s missing elsewhere. When people\u2019s needs for love, belonging, and connection aren\u2019t satisfied in their real relationships, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/psychology\/articles\/10.3389\/fpsyg.2024.1291638\/full\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">turn to social media<\/a> and prioritize it over face-to-face interaction. While specific moments of distraction\u2014like responding to a notification from TikTok or Facebook\u2014can happen automatically, the broader pattern of heavy social media use can represent a deliberate strategy on many people\u2019s part to fill real emotional voids\u2014even if it <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4842323\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ultimately proves ineffective<\/a> at providing genuine emotional support.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-emergence-of-the-attention-economy\"><strong>The Emergence of the Attention Economy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"542\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/man-watching-multiple-screens-1024x542.jpg\" alt=\"A man standing in front of a bunch of different screens\" class=\"wp-image-1048\" style=\"width:794px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/man-watching-multiple-screens-1024x542.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/man-watching-multiple-screens-300x159.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/man-watching-multiple-screens-768x406.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/10\/man-watching-multiple-screens.jpg 1238w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Image credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/g\/gorodenkoff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gorodenkoff<\/a><\/em>\/<em>shutterstock.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The transformation of attention into an extractable resource has created what Hayes calls<strong> the \u201cattention economy,\u201d<\/strong> <strong>where human focus is the most important commodity.<\/strong> As digital technologies made information infinitely abundant and instantly accessible, information lost its place as the scarcest, most valuable resource. Unlike information, which can be copied infinitely, attention can\u2019t be manufactured or duplicated. Each person has a limited supply, and when one entity captures that attention, it becomes unavailable to others. Tech companies compete for these limited hours because controlling attention gives them control of the most valuable commodity in an information-rich world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The concept that information abundance creates attention scarcity isn\u2019t new: In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/how-to-do-nothing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>How to Do Nothing<\/em><\/a>, Jenny Odell explains that social media platforms deliberately <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/thrice-removed\/odells-how-to-do-nothing-resisting-the-attention-economy-2be38b14df79\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">engineer psychological states<\/a> that keep us engaged, making us <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/culture\/archive\/2022\/03\/americans-focus-attention-span-threat-democracy\/626556\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">anxious about missing out<\/a>, envious of others\u2019 lives, and constantly distracted. Her solution is to cultivate \u201cdeep attention\u201d\u2014to resist manipulative content by building stronger attentional muscles. This suggests attention scarcity may be less about the limits of our cognitive capacity and more about how systems fragment our focus. Odell\u2019s approach also highlights a key tension in Hayes\u2019s argument: If attention can be <a href=\"https:\/\/tricycle.org\/magazine\/jenny-odell-attention-economy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">strengthened through practice<\/a>, then it may not be as nonrenewable as Hayes claims.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Companies use a simple business model to profit from capturing and holding human attention: <strong>Platforms provide free content or services to attract users, then sell access to those users\u2019 attention to advertisers<\/strong>. The more engaging the platform, the longer users stay, and the more valuable their attention becomes. This creates incentives for platforms to maximize the time you spend with them. Social media platforms have perfected this model with algorithms that analyze billions of data points about your behavior\u2014what you click, how long you linger, when you scroll\u2014to identify and deliver content specifically designed to exploit your particular triggers, whether those involve political anger, social comparison, fear, or curiosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Mathematical Precision Behind Attention Capture<\/strong><br><br>Though scrolling through a news app or spending time on TikTok might feel harmless, these casual interactions create surprisingly detailed psychological profiles through mathematical analysis. The algorithms designed to do this are simply sets of computer instructions designed to solve problems\u2014in this case, figuring out exactly what content will keep you glued to your screen.<br><br><strong>Even if you deliberately avoid sharing personal information online, you can\u2019t escape this data collection<\/strong>. Researchers have found that <a href=\"https:\/\/ieeexplore.ieee.org\/document\/9934433\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">detailed profiles can be built<\/a> from your browser settings, smartphone location data, Wi-Fi connections, online purchases, and even which apps you\u2019ve installed. Computer programs analyze these seemingly unrelated data points to spot patterns and relationships, ultimately predicting how you\u2019ll behave and enabling companies to influence your decisions. Platforms use mathematical techniques like k-means clustering to <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@esha.jagatia\/k-means-clustering-in-social-media-management-a-statistical-approach-8284427b5ed1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">group you with users<\/a> who have similar behaviors and preferences, analyzing patterns across millions of people to learn more about you.<br><br><strong>The scale of this data gathering is staggering<\/strong>: A <em>Consumer Reports<\/em> study found that an average of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/electronics\/privacy\/each-facebook-user-is-monitored-by-thousands-of-companies-a5824207467\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2,230 different companies<\/a> shared data with Facebook on each of the social network\u2019s users, with some people\u2019s information coming from over 7,000 companies. The resulting personalization can be unnervingly accurate. These systems track not just what you click, but how long you pause on content, where you scroll on a page, and which videos you watch all the way through. The algorithms prioritize <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/recode\/22250897\/facebook-data-privacy-collection-algorithms-extremism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">keeping you on the platform<\/a> over your well-being, potentially steering you toward increasingly extreme or emotionally charged content that triggers strong reactions\u2014and longer viewing sessions.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Hayes argues that <strong>the emergence of the attention economy has implications beyond individual distraction<\/strong>. When society\u2019s most powerful institutions\u2014technology companies worth trillions of dollars\u2014have business models that depend on fragmenting human attention, the cognitive resources necessary for democracy, education, relationships, and long-term thinking come under systematic assault. He contends that the attention economy doesn\u2019t merely compete with other economic activities; it undermines the mental foundations that make other forms of human flourishing possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Critics contend that Hayes underestimates our agency in the attention economy. Geoff Shullenberger argues that Hayes\u2019s concerns reflect \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/compactmag.substack.com\/p\/on-attention-capitalism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the crisis of the bourgeois subject<\/a>,\u201d the centuries-old problem of how we maintain autonomy in modern society. He says the truth may not be that platforms take our attention against our will, but that we want what they offer. Daniel Immerwahr notes that we <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2025\/01\/27\/the-sirens-call-chris-hayes-book-review\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">show remarkable focus<\/a> when binge-watching TV shows, mastering video games, or creating TikTok content. Meanwhile, complaints about attention capture often come from journalists, artists, writers, and professors, suggesting they may be anxious about losing cultural authority and facing economic competition for attention.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-learn-more-about-attention-spans\">Learn More About Attention Spans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To better understand attention spans and their broader context, check out Shortform\u2019s guides to the books we\u2019ve referenced in this article:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-sirens-call\/preview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Sirens&#8217; Call<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/attention-span\/preview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attention Span<\/a><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Attention has become a valuable commodity in the digital economy. Learn what attention is, how it works, and the psychology behind it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1046,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-psychology","category-society-culture"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Is Attention &amp; How Has It Become a Resource? - Shortform Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Attention has become a valuable commodity in the digital economy. 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