The dangers of an ‘attention economy’

September 5, 2024

MANILA – I was fortunate enough to have been part of a panel at the general assembly of the People Management Association of the Philippines last week that discussed the role of media in e-commerce and business innovation. It was a diverse panel, to say the least, with Vince Jaen of MBC Media Group representing business and Luchi Cruz-Valdes of TV5 representing journalism. Vince was straightforward about how they maximize social media toward building multiple income streams. Luchi, on the other hand, warned us of its dangers and how it has facilitated the proliferation of scams and other abuses of access to consumer information. For my part, I attempted to convince people that one can aim for a win-win solution where business and people—consumers, workers, and community—can grow together without exploitation if businesses value long-term sustainability over short-term profit. My statements turned out relatively idealistic compared to my fellow panelists, who were concerned about how business and journalism can survive in the “attention economy,” as Vince mentioned.

I have never worked for a corporation. I also have never been hired to increase revenues or make profit. I realized, being in that panel, what a privilege I have in not being beholden to market forces. When I was accepting the award for Best Newspaper Columnist for the 12th Makatao Awards for Media Excellence at the same event, I clumsily thanked my editors for the “freedom to write whatever I want.” What I truly meant to say, now that I can really appreciate this position that was given to me, is that our editors had never leaned on us to write about certain topics or limit us to certain perspectives. They never had us chase views, likes,