Limited Attention

The saddest part of living in the Information Age is the attack that’s been made on our attention. There are more options, and more distractions than ever, with a bunch of blood sucking companies using every trick they can to steal it from us.

Many of us let it happen unknowingly. Companies dangled limitless connection, potential, and dreams in front of us, while they also reached around and pickpocketed the rest of our attention from our wallets.

Did you know that the average American consumer sees approximately 5,000 ads per day (Holmes, 2019)? 5,000 ads! That’s insane! That’s actually about 10 times the amount of adds seen per day by the average American consumer in the 70’s.

I think society is finally starting to notice and make some needed changes. Apple finally came out with information on our ‘screen time’ usage the, similarly to how McDonalds and other fast food restaurants were forced to begin listing all of their ingredients years ago. Also, Facebook went to court and was put on trial for their leaking of privacy information.

Remember, all of this is new. We are the first generation of people to grow up in the ‘information age’ and have access to social media, smart phones, and any bit of information we’d like to know in a heartbeat. Who knows what the effects and the studies will be years from now.

I think there will be a trend happening where companies that treat your attention with respect, rather than uselessly spamming people will become the most valuable companies. I think Marketing strategists are beginning to see that it’s not always just post more, more, more, but it’s a combination of frequency combined with generosity, care, and respect.

Your attention should be yours to own, and give out freely without any pressures or obligations otherwise.

Source:

HolmesInfluencerFollowCEO, Ryan. “We Now See 5,000 Ads A Day ... And It's Getting Worse.” LinkedIn, 19 Feb. 2019, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/have-we-reached-peak-ad-social-media-ryan-holmes.