Attention Age

The Attention Age is an idea that the current period of time, which overlaps and builds off of the Information Age, will be characterized by the increasing commoditization of attention as it relates to the increasing abundance of information available, particularly on the Internet. The Attention Age is marked by the ability of individuals to create and consume information instantly and freely as well as share it on the Internet using social media. The period is believed to have begun with the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies and social media in the 2000s.
The Attention Age is one term for this period, another is the Inattention Age, as as we all have so little time to put into any one thing and have to parcel out our attention to many tasks. This characterises the use of many Web 2.0 technologies such as FaceBook and Twitter.
Search vs. subscription
Searching for information via search engines is believed to be easier in the Attention Age than in the Information Age because of the rapidly increasing quantity of information. However, such an assumption neglects to realize the increasing importance of relevance within search engine indices. Information consumption in the Attention Age is believed to be more user-focused and targeted based upon preferences discovered by previous activities and user profiles. Of course, such previous information is not present for an initial search effort. Tools like RSS allow users to subscribe to content that they feel is valuable. In the social networking context, this could also mean pushing ones view about products, society, politics, sports, etc. to his/her friends through status update messages.
Social media
Social media platforms play a key role in commoditizing attention because they allow users to share valuable content freely and instantly. Blogs, Wikis, and other user-created content locations serve a key role in adding to the abundance of information of varying quality, reliability, and source on the Internet. Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and others allow people to create and share content with friends. Twitter is an example of an Attention Age social media tool that allows for real-time transmission of content and news. In 2008 and 2009, Twitter received notoriety for its staggering growth rate and its users' breaking news before traditional media outlets. Sites like del.icio.us and Digg allow users to tag and organize content that they find valuable for others to consume.

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