The Future of the Web – The Attention Economy
The Attention Economy is a term used to describe people’s attention as a scarce resource, one which is of high value to businesses/companies/organisaitions worldwide; basically it is becoming the new currency of the web.
There have been developments in this area on the web in recent years but the real growth will be seen in future years, where content will be freely distributable and the advertisements linked to that content will be vying for your attention. The trick for companies is to monetise this new development. Here is an example of the attention economy being utilised and exploited:
Defining social interaction
People are interacting at a level which wasn’t feasible in previous years and this will become more prominent as Facebook incorporates techniques that will promote and fuel the attention economy. Current attempts include the introduction of Facebook ads and applications which very often are free, their purpose being to draw your attention to a specific source (i.e. a website).
Future
The premise behind the future of the Attention Economy is that we will pay more for services/products that use our attention efficiently. This will especially affect TV online and customised advertisements during these shows. Check out the video below for a demonstration of the benefits (and disadvantages) of the attention economy.
