Back to Glossary

Attention economy

An economic model where human attention is treated as a scarce, monetizable resource. Platforms profit by maximizing time-on-site through algorithms that favor engaging (often outrageous) content over accurate information. This creates perverse incentives for news: sensational headlines generate more revenue than careful reporting, pushing journalism toward clickbait.

Learn about this term

Related Terms

Vocabulary from all courses. Terms are cross-referenced to show where each concept appears.