Transactional attention

We are the products of a highly optimized attention economy.

Our attention is for sale to the highest bidder.

We give it for free in exchange for cheap distraction.

So we don’t have much left for people dear to us.

That makes us transactional in our relationships.

We like our friends’ posts on Facebook.

But that’s not giving attention.

If anything, it’s a way to bail out guilt-free.

I’m a frequent perpetrator.

So I try to be more present.

It’s not easy. I have to be very intentional.

But I have a template.

I grew up before the Internet was widely available.

I was already a working adult when YouTube took off.

So I remember what it feels like to be “off the grid” by default.

But how about digital natives?

How does being present look to them? Or you, if you’re one.

When relationships are maintained digitally, can you be present offline?

Or is your identity intertwined with your phone?

Born into distraction, have you developed mechanisms to deal with it more effectively?

What’s your template?

I’m genuinely curious.