The Attention Economy

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the attention economy and how our attention has quietly become something that can be tracked, measured, and monetized. Mostly because I’ve noticed how hard it’s become to switch off. If I’m not actively doing something, I’m on my phone. Scrolling, searching, reacting. And honestly, I miss boredom.

This episode is a reflection on how we got here, from a time when attention was local and limited to a world where algorithms compete for it around the clock, and what that constant stimulation might be doing to our nervous systems, our relationships, and our sense of self. It is not about blaming technology, because we cannot really opt out anymore, but about reclaiming some agency over where we place our attention.

I also share a small experiment I tried. Eating lunch without my phone. Just me, my food, and a notebook. It sounds simple, almost ridiculous, but it reminded me how good it feels to be present with myself and how easily we lose that when we are constantly consuming everyone else’s voices.

Because maybe the goal is not to unplug completely.

Maybe it is to create small guardrails that help us choose our attention instead of having it taken from us.