From 'Pay' to 'Spend': A Linguistic Journey into Attention Ownership

We consider ourselves civilised, yet we find ourselves traversing a metaphorical forest—one wherein our historical experiences were rooted in the primal pursuits of survival and sustenance. These fundamental aspects, notably survival and the farming of life to feed this life, persist as enduring elements of our collective consciousness. However, amidst these recognized facets of existence, there exists a contemporary challenge that often eludes our acknowledgment—the modern equivalent of hunting in this metaphorical forest: the relentless pursuit of attention.

Every acquisition we make, every transaction we engage in, and all that we have come to know or learn can be traced back to a form of hunting, solicitation, or a tacit acknowledgment of our attention's indebtedness to entities that facilitate these processes.

It prompts a pertinent query: why do we not sense a threat when others lay claim to that which is inherently ours and inherently finite? The adage "Time is money" echoes through the corridors of wisdom, yet have you ever encountered a famous quote or saying that venerates the concept of "attention"? The failure to accord our attention to the status of a limited resource or a form of currency is a perplexing oversight.

The term "pay," as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, has traditionally meant "to render, bestow, or give." Reflecting on the ubiquity of the phrase "Pay attention..." in educational settings, one cannot help but recognize the significance of this verb and the profound implication—attention as a limited resource.

I am inclined to substitute the term "spend" for "pay" in relation to attention. While I may owe my attention to the demands of my work during designated hours, using the term "spend" imparts a sense of ownership over this personal resource. The nuanced awareness of language and its profound influence on our cognition and behaviour suggests that a more judicious expenditure of attention could yield wiser outcomes.

Yet, it is unjust to cast blame upon those within the ecosystem who engage in the relentless pursuit of our attention for business; this intricate dance is an evolutionary product of the jungle we navigate, a game we, knowingly or unknowingly, facilitate.

The lexicon of economies, extending beyond the confines of the traditional market, has garnered substantial recognition across diverse fields. These economies are like symbols describing how resources and values are exchanged in different situations for a defined currency. Notable among them are the Attention Economy, Knowledge Economy, Gift Economy, Crypto and Blockchain Economy, Circular Economy, Data Economy, and Platform Economy, among countless others.

Contemplating the attention economy is an overwhelming task. Undeniably, the purchase of attention from platforms that have commandeered the lion's share of our cognitive focus fuels the revenue streams of nearly every enterprise, including the entity that funds my livelihood—recompense for a slice of my consciously allocated attention. While articulating these thoughts, a disquieting realisation dawns: How much of my attention remains spent unconsciously? How can I practice understanding the capacity of my attention every day, as it gets topped up in varying amounts each morning? How do I reclaim my attention? As the specter of unclaimed attention looms large, it prompts reflections on potential alterations to my life's course if I had exercised greater ownership over this invaluable commodity.

I lack definitive answers to these ponderings, yet I remain committed to holding space for these questions without succumbing to the allure of facile conclusions. Why, then, am I bringing this topic to the forum? It is not a bid to sell or influence behaviour, but rather a deliberate effort to provoke contemplation. To request your attention and let this narrative serve as an invitation to a collective exploration—a journey that transcends the realms of mere attention, touching upon the very fabric of our consciousness and the choices that shape our shared reality.?Nishant Mittal?and the team have been one of those people I know who are exploring solutions to this, and he has written an open pitch below.

At the center of this pitch stands a proposed solution—an unassuming cellphone.

Is this the only solution??

-No.?

Could this be a solution that contributes to solving this attention crisis??

-It’s worth exploring because this is not one of those extremist solutions.

Read his open pitch: https://www.nishantmittal.in/post/open-pitch-for-vcs-a-smart-phone-which-doesn-t-make-you-dumb