Attention Is Money
By the end of this lesson, you can see how your attention gets bought and sold, and how to spend it on purpose.
The big idea
In Lesson 1 you asked who pays for free things. Here's the bigger answer: your attention is the product. Free apps, videos and websites earn money by holding your eyes long enough to show you ads. The longer you stay, the more they earn.
That's why feeds never end, videos autoplay and notifications buzz. These designs aren't evil, but they aren't built around your goals. They're built around time on screen.
Attention works like money:
- You only get so much each day. Spend it on one thing and it's gone from everything else.
- Others compete for it. Ads, creators, apps and brands are all bidding.
- You can invest it. An hour learning a skill can pay you back for years. An hour scrolling usually doesn't.
The flip side matters if you run a business. Getting attention is the first step to getting customers, which is why businesses pay for billboards, ads and shout-outs. If you know how attention works, you can use it instead of just being used by it.
3 stops in BERLO City
Tap "Go there" to fly straight to each stop. Answer the question before you move on.
1. The screens
- Look for
- "Screens from $15 a month," and the Grand Screen
2. The Marketing HQ
- Look for
- The team that plans the city's posts, inside the Trading HQ building
3. The Radio
- Look for
- BERLO City Radio and its stations (tap Radio)
3 quick questions
Your real-life task
Check your phone's screen-time report. Pick one app and decide how much time it deserves. Then try that limit for 7 days.
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