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Caro Flores
@floresophize@mas.to  ·  activity timestamp yesterday

Interested in what exactly is the problem with attention markets and the attention economy? Go read this fantastic paper! It argues that attention markets undermine autonomy.

It does so without misleading appeals to "internet addiction" and based on a subtle understanding of what attention is. And it really clarifies what attention markets are, what is special about recent ones, and why the problem is not only "bad actors".

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11098-025-02436-3

#philosophy #psychology #technology #tech

SpringerLink

The attention market—and what is wrong with it - Philosophical Studies

Attention is described as a “scarce commodity” that is traded in “a marketplace.” This, it is further claimed, contributes to a “widespread sense of attentional crisis.” But is there really an attention market, and if so, what, if anything, is wrong with it? We defend the claim that there are markets in attention. We provide an account of such attention markets and use that account to address what is morally wrong with them. Our account draws on knowledge of how attention works and what roles it plays in the mind. The attention market trades in an ability to influence our attention – somewhat (though not exactly) like the labor market trades in an ability to influence how we use our capacity for work. Specifically, the commodity it trades in is attentional landscaping potential, viz. the ability to systematically influence patterns of attention by changes to the sensory environment individuals are exposed to. Attention markets thus, we argue, commodify influence over a human capacity that plays a central role in shaping individual experience, agency, and belief formation. This feature of attention markets makes them ethically problematic. As markets in access to external influence, attention markets pose a special threat to individual autonomy and escape the classical liberal defense of free markets. Those who value autonomy should worry about the attention markets that exist today.
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