When Attention Went on Sale — with Tim Wu

TL;DR

Attention went on sale when the ad-supported penny press turned audiences into a commodity that newspapers could resell to advertisers. Tim Wu traces this model to the 1830s, when papers sold at a loss to build large audiences and competitors pursued increasingly lurid stories. He connects that race for attention to today’s technology platforms, misinformation, antitrust, and demands for ethical reform. Read on for the historical examples and proposed responses.

Transcript

so you have Troll Wars you have fake news you have sort of the race to the bottom all at the early days of the invention of the business model that's Tim woo author of the attention Merchants it's a book about the invention of the attention economy when 19th century newspapers began the original race to the bottom of the brain stem and yes they cir... Read More

Key Insights

• 💛 The attention economy has historical roots in yellow journalism, characterized by sensationalism to attract audiences.
• 🥺 There is a cyclical pattern in media history where societal outrage leads to ethical reforms in journalism and media practices.
• 📰 Social media mimics the sensationalist tactics of 19th-century newspapers, creating a race to the bottom regarding news quality.
• 🙈 Antitrust actions against tech monopolies are seen as necessary to safeguard democratic processes and prevent misinformation.
• 👶 There’s a need for a cultural shift in tech where new tools focus on user well-being rather than engagement metrics driven by advertising.
• 💀 Past media scandals illustrate the potential dangers of unchecked media influence, echoing the need for regulation today.
• 🧑‍💻 Employee advocacy within tech companies can be a powerful force for promoting ethical practices and corporate responsibility.

Questions & Answers

Q: When did attention become a commodity in the media business?

Tim Wu traces the attention economy to the ad-supported penny press of the 1830s. Newspapers could sell each paper at a loss for a penny, cultivate a much larger audience, and then make money by reselling access to that audience.

Q: What does Tim Wu mean when he says the audience is the product?

The newspaper’s valuable asset was the large audience it attracted rather than the paper itself. That audience could be resold to advertisers, making human attention the commodity behind the business model.

Q: How did the penny press create a race to the bottom?

Once the ad-supported newspaper model began making money, competitors entered and fought for readers’ attention. Their coverage moved toward increasingly lurid and outrageous material, including suicide, death, murder, personal insults, and fabricated discoveries.

Q: What was the six-part story about life on the moon?

A newspaper commissioned a supposed exclusive account from a famous scientist associated with the world’s largest telescope. The six-part series claimed that the moon contained giant lakes, huge trees, and man-bats that flew around and had promiscuous sex.

Q: What parallels does Tim Wu draw between 19th-century newspapers and today’s social media?

Wu says both systems discovered a business model based on capturing and reselling attention. The early newspapers’ sensational stories and public feuds resemble the fake news, troll wars, and race to the bottom found on social media.

Q: What causes the public to demand reform of attention-driven media?

Wu says change often follows a shock so outlandish that audiences realize their minds have been manipulated. Feeling fooled can produce widespread anger, public demands for a different course, and calls for stronger ethical standards.

Q: How does Tim Wu propose addressing problems in the attention economy?

Wu argues for antitrust action against concentrated technology monopolies and for stronger regulation that makes digital media serve the public interest. He also supports tools centered on user well-being and human connection instead of advertising-driven engagement.

Q: What role can technology-company employees play in media reform?

Wu sees employee advocacy as a force for improving corporate responsibility. Workers who press their companies to adopt responsible practices can help move technology toward ethical standards and the public interest.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Tim Wu's exploration of the attention economy reveals its origins in the 19th century with yellow journalism, where sensationalism prevailed to capture readers' attention.

• He highlights a pattern in media history where public outrage eventually leads to calls for ethical standards in journalism to combat misinformation and sensationalism.

• Wu compares current tech giants with historical monopolies, urging for antitrust actions to preserve democratic values against misinformation and disinformation.