“Attention,” write Thomas Mandel and Gerard Van der Leun in their 1996 book Rules of the Net, “is the hard currency of cyberspace.” They’re dead on. As the Net becomes an increasingly strong presence in the overall economy, the flow of attention will not only anticipate the flow of money, but eventually replace it altogether.
A real and truly networker pay a lot of Attention. Attention to people, attention to behaviors, attention to objects and even attention to herself/himself. Attention has its own routine, its own dynamics, its own consequences. I truly believe, based on many years of personal experience and research exploring this subject, that an economy built on Attention will be different than the familiar material-based one. But how does attention come to dominate the emerging economy?
I do believe that every person wants to get a certain amount of Attention. Attention addresses a fundamental human desire. Some minimum of Attention is necessary for every human being. But do you give enough Attention to others? Recognizing the existence of others in your life? Appreciate what they do for you and let them know that, now! Do you know that living without feedback, even if you have all the materialistic things life can give you, would be a real torture (for some immediately and for others after a while)?
So if you know Attention is a limited resource won’t you pay attention to where you pay attention?
