ATTENTION EXTRACTION: unsustainable attention economy.
The quality of our life is the quality of our attention. Our attention determines how we use our time and shapes our reality, identity and choices.
The attention economy considers this resource valuable because it influences consumption: billboards, television, radio, newspapers… Competition for audiences and the maximization of captured attention has existed for a long time, and we have been dealing with it for generations.
But attention, like oil or timber, is a finite resource. Certain practices go beyond the limits of sustainability by deploying advanced technology and algorithms to maximize the extraction of this vital resource of ours.
It is in this context that we reach a turning point: the attention economy becomes an extractive attention economy. This approach goes beyond simply monetizing attention. It seeks to create dependency.
THIS MODEL IS BASED ON 3 STAGES
HOOK OUR ATTENTION
RETAIN OUR ATTENTION
CHANGE OUR HABITS
HOOK
OUR ATTENTION
RETAIN
OUR ATTENTION
CHANGE
OUR HABITS
THIS MODEL IS BASED ON 3 STAGES
Signs Big Tech has already changed your habits
Have you ever gone to quickly check something on your phone and gotten lost in endless content, forgetting what you were going to look at in the first place?
Is checking your phone the last thing you do before going to sleep, and the first thing you do when you wake up?
Have you ever had trouble stopping?
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Whenever you are bored or have a moment of downtime, is reaching for your phone an automatic reflex?
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Are activities like eating alone or using the bathroom uncomfortable without your phone?
Have you ever felt your phone vibrate in your pocket when it had not actually gone off?
11 TECHNIQUES PLATFORMS USE TO KEEP YOU HOOKED
Intrusive Notifications
Messages and alerts sent to interrupt users and pull them back into the platform.
LIMITED-TIME OPPORTUNITIES
Creating a “false sense of urgency” to trigger anxiety and the fear of missing out (FOMO).
Collective Surveillance
The use of visual indicators (such as "online," "typing," or "viewed") generates social pressure for immediate responses.
Zero Friction
Removing natural breaks in browsing through features such as infinite scroll and video autoplay.
Gamification for Engagement
Transforming ordinary interactions into mini-games (with rankings, virtual trophies, etc.) to create addiction and a daily habit.
Quantification of Social Validation
Human interaction measured through linear metrics (likes, followers, views), encouraging comparison and competition.
Dopamine Triggers
Manipulating the brain's motivation system through visual and auditory stimuli that reinforce subconscious behaviors.
variable Rewards
Using unpredictable rewards that keep users in a constant state of anticipation and seeking novelty.
Optimized Interface
Constant A/B testing to discover the exact colors, vibrations, and shapes that are most effective in maintaining continuous engagement.
Predictive AI
Algorithms that collect and analyze user data to recommend “irresistible” content they cannot avoid watching, exploiting emotional vulnerabilities.
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Generative AI
“Humanizing” interactions to simulate and build trust and intimacy with users, creating a bond of emotional and cognitive dependency.
11 TECHNIQUES PLATFORMS USE TO KEEP YOU HOOKED
01
Intrusive Notifications
Messages and alerts sent to interrupt users and pull them back into the platform.
02
Limited-Time Opportunities
Creating a “false sense of urgency” to trigger anxiety and the fear of missing out (FOMO).
03
Collective Surveillance
The use of visual indicators (such as "online," "typing," or "viewed") generates social pressure for immediate responses.
04
Zero Friction
Eliminating natural pauses in navigation, using features such as infinite scrolling and video autoplay.
05
Gamification for Engagement
Transforming ordinary interactions into mini-games (with rankings, virtual trophies, etc.) to create addiction and a daily habit.
06
Quantification of Social Validation
Human interaction measured in linear metrics (likes, followers, views), encouraging comparison and competition.
07
Dopamine Triggers
Manipulating the brain's motivation system through visual and auditory stimuli that reinforce subconscious behaviors.
08
Random Rewards
The application of unpredictable rewards keeps the user in a constant state of anticipation and searching for new things.
09
Optimized Interface
Constant A/B testing to discover the exact colors, vibrations, and shapes that are most effective in maintaining continuous engagement.
10
Predictive AI
Algorithms that analyze user data to recommend "inevitable" content that the user can't help but look at, exploiting emotional vulnerabilities.
09
Optimized Interface
Constant A/B testing to discover the exact colors, vibrations, and shapes that are most effective in maintaining continuous engagement.
10
Predictive AI
Algorithms that analyze user data to recommend "inevitable" content that the user can't help but look at, exploiting emotional vulnerabilities.
11
Generative AI
To create personalized content and charismatic interactions that seek to occupy the user's intimate space, transforming the company into a "false friend".
10
Predictive AI
Algorithms that analyze user data to recommend "inevitable" content that the user can't help but look at, exploiting emotional vulnerabilities.
THIS IS AN EFFECT OF ATTENTION EXTRACTION
That is, the set of strategies used to capture, extend, and monetize our time on digital platforms.
Infinite scroll, with content that never ends
Algorithm monitoring your behavior
Likes that make our brain release dopamine
Sound, vibration, and visual notifications
These features don't exist by chance: they're part of a logic that transforms permanence into value. And the point here isn't to portray technology as the Great Villain, but to learn how to live more healthily with it.
ATTENTIONAL RESISTANCE: THE RIGHT TO ONE'S OWN ATTENTION
If the extractive economy treats our attention as a resource to be exploited and commercialized without limits, Attentional Resistance seeks to return it to whom it belongs: each individual.
More than choosing when to look at a screen or not, resisting means regaining control over our own lives. After all, our attention directs our thoughts, influences our choices, and helps shape who we become.
Um Minuto de Sua Atenção was created to strengthen this movement: to make visible the forces competing for our attention, expand the tools we have to confront them, and advocate for fairer relationships with technology.
Attentional Resistance
means deciding again what deserves our attention.
Um Minuto de Sua Atenção was created to strengthen this movement: to make visible the forces competing for our attention, expand the tools we have to confront them, and advocate for fairer relationships with technology.
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