ATTENTION ECONOMY PAID IN EXPOSURE . . . TO WHAT

The attention economy is an agreement between those seeking, and needing attention, and those who accommodate them.

But what about the end-user, the audience, you know, The People I like to call ‘the rest of us?’

We still matter since the ‘I’m paying attention’ economy is based on time, not money.

No money for those stretching their attention span? The big takeaway is the experience?

Outrageous, don’t you think?

 

One of my favorite saying is, “If you’re so smart, why aren’t you rich?”

I’ve never said it, but I like thinking about it.

It opens so many doors for ignorance and neglect, usually doors with lines waiting.

One of those doors is in the Bruuuuuce song:

 

Workin’ in the fields till you get your back burned
Workin’ ‘neath the wheel till you get your facts learned
Baby I got my facts learned real good right now
You better get it straight darling

Poor man wanna be rich, rich man wanna be king
And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything

 

If a rich man isn’t smart enough to know when to shut-up, he’d be a bad ruler.

What did a bad ruler look like before the attention economy?

 

Rule Everything? Ok Boomer

Stop me if you’re heard me say this:

People, older people, baby boomers in particular, who reflect on what they might have done if they’d gone into the military, see themselves in the light of their advancing years.

I’m not going ageist when I say that successful people see themselves as a success in the service, that they see themselves as officers and gentlemen, leaders of men the way they’re leaders now.

They don’t see the initiation, the process of making big men smaller, and smaller men bigger.

Instead, they see themselves in snappy outfits, getting out of cars, walking up gangplanks, and settling into the admiral’s suite.

Or, hopping out of a helicopter to review troops before they mount up for a dangerous mission.

 

What’s the dangerous mission for the rich man, the king, who wants to rule everything?

What do they want to rule most of all? That thing they can’t control, the human spirit.

But they try, then try again.

Eventually they pass on.

We’ve already seen how it works out.

This handsome man was the ruler of Italy.

He did it in style, with  such style that he inspired others.

 

In April 1945, Mussolini was captured by Italian partisans and on April 29 was executed by firing squad with his mistress, Clara Petacci, after a brief court-martial. Their bodies, brought to Milan, were hanged by the feet in a public square for all the world to see.

 

This king was cheered and celebrated. Men wanted to be him, women wanted to date him.

It worked for awhile, then it didn’t. What’s most shocking to me?

That the cheering masses would line up to spit on his dead body.

I hear you, “But Dave, it’s probably not the same people.”

Personally, I’d never spit on a dead body, or wait in line to see it hung like a side of beef.

People can be so cruel.

This is when the attention economy needs to shift focus.

When one of these fuckers is lurking around the fringe and attracting cheering mobs intoxicated on bullshit promises and poor memory, how will they pay their last respects when the time comes?

 

Attention Economy Needs Eyes Wide Open

When Reddit asks a question the right answer comes up, eventually:

 

If you are hell bent on spitting, which in certain occasions (but not many) is necessary, use your tongue to make a bowl shape to scoop up whatever you are spitting out, drag your tongue back against the roof of your mouth and let the saliva/loogie go over the front of your tongue and rest between your teeth and the bottom of your tongue.

Now hook your tongue back and gently lift the loogie-spittle to tooth level and blow really hard and really fast.

As you do this, push your tongue forward to put the spit/whatever behind your pursed lips.

In one swift motion (in the time of the blowing) push the spit into the path of the outgoing air with your tongue.

 

Ordinarily, I see see the words ‘attention economy’ and think, ‘Jesus, who’s shilling now?’

If I need to pay attention to something, I’d know about it because I’m a college graduate, married to a college graduate, with two college graduate kids.

In other words, I get busted when I’m not up to date on things.

It all starts when I open my mouth. After that I’m cast in the mold of ‘sad old out of touch boomer says what?’

I’m not saying they’re not right, just that I don’t take offense at being corrected.

By millennials.

So I’ll return the favor:

Listen you little shits, the guy whose name keeps popping up on your periphery isn’t not an entertainer, a pop star, or a passing fad.

He’s a grab ’em by the pussy man, a broken down hump looking for attention. 

If he’s got your attention, and you vote, do so with your mother in mind.

If votings is not your thing, you know, because why does it matter, then register to vote and do it with your sister in mind, your wife, daughter, your granny.

This guy, and those who subscribe to his leadership, are not good for women like your mom, your sister, wife, daughter, or granny.

If the attention economy is all about clicks and likes and time on page, retire the retread to the trash heap of history.