The Adversity around Attention

Attention is underrated in our day and age. These two articles, "Welcome to the Attention Economy" and "Information Surplus in the Digital Age" both stuck out to me. Firstly, the article regarding the attention deficit present in our society stuck out to me, as it acknowledged what I find to be a "silent" issue in our society. The article goes as far as to say that, "attention has become a more valuable currency than the kind you store in bank accounts." I agree with this because I think, in the day and age where information is constantly circulating, you must be able to afford to be attentive. The media industry is no longer black and white, therefore you it takes time to make sense of the different technologies and to make accurate perceptions on information. Everything comes in such vast quantities so it is brutally easy to overlook an important piece of information that you might categorize as a detail.

The second article posted elaborates on the idea of information surplus. This article was very enlightening to me as I am constantly trying to retain as much information as possible. However, I never stop to ask myself, "When is enough, enough?" I find it challenging to dissect the information placed in front of me on social media and online, as the amount of information can be overwhelming. I find it interesting that in the "Information Surplus in the Digital Age" article, the Iris connects the attention deficit with users' willingness to pay for online news outlets. Individuals are now on-the-go, however the need for information has only grown. When will the time come where our brains are overstimulated, to a point where we can no longer move at such a quick, "efficient" pace?