Attention seekers and creating for a real attention economy
Once upon a time, Shakespeare wrote some plays and was able to sell tickets as he was able to hold the audiences attention and, make them want to come back and see more of his plays. Our attention has value because where we focus it will influence our behavior - it can make us behave differently or make us buy what is sold - like tickets to a play.
The internet has allowed pretty much anyone to take part in the attention economy as either a user or a contributor and while most people aren't overly creative, everyone wants to earn on what they create. What they earn is obviously not always money as most platforms they operate on don't offer the possibility, what they they earn are stars, hearts, likes - tokens of attention.
As most aren't overly creative or talented, the way they try to get attention is through piggybacking their attention seeking content on the back of others. On Twitter, most people do not have a great deal of followers but spend their time around the accounts of those who do and comment there with the feeling that what they say is being seen. On Facebook they share the content of others and get likes given to them by their friends and family in a selection biased environment built for echo-chambering. On YouTube they add their comments in the comments sections and believe what they have to say has value and the snarkier it is, the more likely to get some thumbs up.
They think that getting traction on a comment is the same as getting support on an account - it isn't. An account that has been able to build actual support gets support on the content itself consistently because the account offers a consistent experience. McDonald's gets supported because while it is cheap, it is highly consistent in quality and if it was very random, people would unlikely create habits surrounding it. McDonald's knows how to get attention from its users.
What is interesting, is that what gives the ones who actually get attention value, is that the masses want to get a piece of that attention for themselves, to feel a part of something and they conflate being in the group as being a leader of the group. While many claim to not want to be leaders, they still go out of their way to "offer" their advice on other people's content in the hope of payment, stars, hearts, thumbs or votes.
Many also try their hand at content creation and regardless of what they do, they are unlikely to get support consistently because what they create isn't of interest, isn't attractive, isn't useful, isn't wanted by people. They still want attention though so, will shill their content wherever they think it will get seen. On Steem, these are the unsolicited link-droppers, the ones who comment on the top comment, the people who upvote their own comments in the hope of visibility.
Attention seekers.
What most don't seem to recognize however is that it is an attention economy and that means there is a supply and demand and due to the low cost of creation, only one side of the equation is unlimited.
Attention is a finite resource.
Because we only have limited time and energy, we can only consume so much attention seeking content however, there are many people trying to have apiece of the economy with far too much created to be consumed. This means that there is a high degree of competition for the attentive audience and since most people do not have the skills, mind or experience to put forward what is seen as valuable enough to be consumed in comparison to other alternatives. On top of this, most people do not have the skills required to draw attention to their work.
Most are destined to be consumers.
What is interesting on Steem is that there is the potential to earn on consumptive behaviors, something that one generally pays for in the real world. However, the caveat is that in order to earn, one has to have stake in the economy itself. So many people have sold their stake here yet, are not the kinds of people who are able to produce for earning potential and on Steem, earning Steem is easy.
Sure, not everyone is going to earn much but if you have been on Steem for a significant amount of time and still haven't earned anything on your content, you must be trying very, very hard to avoid drawing attention. Everyone who has stake is earning something, even if it is just the stake-calculated interest out of the pool.
For me, I have been a content contributor for over two and a half years on Steem and have earned relatively well because of consistency of some kind that people can rely on. Sure, I might not have the most interesting blog in the world yet, it can be very useful for some people and, that holds value. I have also staked my earnings and bought in more which means that in combination with my content, my holdings attract consumers because I can reward their comments meaning, add to their own potential for consumption.
There are many ways to get attention in this world but for most attention seekers on the internet they are not patient enough to actually build something, to develop their business model by doing what they are good at to garner consistent support. Instead, what they do is try to use troll activities and attacks to get the attention they desire, and it often works. The difference on Steem is that for most people, attacking others may get attention but, it doesn't translate into earnings and for most, that is what they are looking for on Steem. The people willing to support aggressive behavior on Steem is actually quite low.
This doesn't stop people trying.
In my view, I am quite happy to ignore people who I see as adding no value to my experience. For example, there is one person who comments on many of my posts and even makes content "starring" me but, I haven't engaged with them for months. In fact, I don't even read their comments, I just post a link to a post they made a few months ago where they believed someone on Steem can affect their bank account in the real world when they argue with them. It is quite delusional. They keep commenting, I keep ignoring as I have better things to spend my attention on. Rather than spending their time doing something useful for themselves, they spend their time thinking about me.
Weird.
But then, that is what happens when people get somewhat successful at something as not only do people try to attract attention through association, they create strange fixations on the person. You know, it is like that Eminem song, Stan.
What I find ultimately strange on Steem is that it is a place that has value if people choose for it to have value and that means creating an economy where we as a community can pay attention to the things we like and add value to them through Steem Power and earn back on what we consume. This however of course requires holding Steem Power to be able to create the economy of it, something that many people don't see value in. Rather, they take the Steem they earn and use it to pay attention to what is already mainstream, already owned by those who already own everything else.
Rather than learning how to be part of a healthy economy, they keep buying into one that pushes value to those they say they do not trust and do not want in power.
See, while some people struggle for content, I can sit here and write 1500 words or so and feel that what I have written has value to me, and to the community. This is my art. This is part of creating for an economy that can work long-term - not collapse every few years. We already live in a world of tyrants who only want attention so that they can extract more from a system and, if we give them the attention they seek, it is us who is to blame for the power they hold.
We have created this world through where we focus our attention, yet we haven't being paying attention to what we have created. But hey, keep trolling, keep supporting shite, keep trying to undercut those who actually add some value to the world. As most of us are going to live to see our eighties, good luck with where your behavior is leading us.
I will keep working toward what I think helps more than myself - just in case it makes a difference.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
Check out my blog bro!
Consistency is always a big factor in any success in my experience.
I will be right over. You are on dPorn right?
It is easy to be consistent if you don't have to fake everything you do.
I think it is still early in the cycle of the emergence of the attention economy but through more iterations and experiments happening here and elsewhere like BAT and its Brave browser, more value will be captured and distributed to those that want to control their attention more.
A major benefit of the internet is that we are able to choose where we pay attention however, this has somewhat been taken away through algorithms that direct us down channels. Perhaps with the addition of value, people will think more about their consumption.
Yeaaaaaaah
You got it right, @tarazkp! It is as you say, attention is actually a kind of currency, and I think 'influencers' in the mainstream social media wields it and mines it and commoditizes it like a pro :D
I have tried to induct other Steemians to understand this concept of engaging and creating a focal point of attention by commenting ........ You know, like the person that faithfully comment on your stuff, I've visited many plankton and minnow accounts and I commented on their contents / posts daily (for some) but I was expecting nothing in return. So to read your experience with this person, I am now a bit worried that they think I was being weird.... XD;;;;;;;
Anyway, I'm cutting down now, since like you said, attention and time is not unlimited, so hopefully I won't be a too much of a weirdo anymore LOL
I think there is a difference between looking for attention as you speak of it and liking the sound of one's own voice, which the person who posts here does. I tell people to engage with others too however, some are better at it than others in attracting someone to explore their blog further.
oh thank you :)
... though i dont mind being a bit weird at times, there has been a few that i managed to roped out of their blogs to engage outside. i understand it can be daunting to reach out but i make the effort to come to their blogs first and make conversations so they are acclimatizing to the idea that it's fine to go out and take interest in other people's stuff too. ATTENTION is something that is magical cuz all of us can AFFORD to give others this!
:D
One of my favorite writers and talks about this subject at great length. Not only about the attention economy works but also how important it is to build trust amongst those who seek good and consistent constant.
Posted using Partiko Android
Everyone loves a bit of attention ;D
Hi @tarazkp
I've been dealing with social media marketing for quite sometime already and I've seen those behaviours many times in the past.
Not necessarily. Most of my customers (few companies, few people) would care about likes knowing that other people will see amount of those likes. And people tend to perceive others by those numbers.
Building "impression" of being popular is part of "branding" strategies. For many this is just enough. They don't expect much more. They just care about "looking" popular.
Those tactics luckily do not work at all on Steemit. Luckily :)
Great read. Again.
Yours, Piotr
I think you have missed my point on the comments. If I drop a comment on your post, it doesn't mean you are going to come and visit my blog. Sure though, my comment adds value to your blog through numbers but to attract people in, I have to be better at commenting than most as who I am attracting are other readers of your blog. I personally find interesting users to check out from their comments on other people's blogs, most comments aren't very interesting though :)
You're quite right @tarazkp. I guess I did miss the point.
Excellent method. I'm doing quite the same. I like to sit down for 2-3hours every day and go through my feed and whenever I read something interesting, I love to check out comments and quite often I end up discussing with other people.
Cheers buddy :)
Piotr
Hello!
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The thing I really like about Steem is that you can generally find what you value, what draws your attention. It's refreshing to find thought-provoking, insightful posts such as this. Yes, I agree completely. Where we feed whatever we pay attention to, both in ourselves and in others. It pays to be mindful. I try to be very mindful of whether something is helping or hindering me. I tend to not waste time on garbage or drama, because like you said here...my time and attention is a limited commodity.
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Now we both know that isn't true, don't we, matey?
I can prove that to be false statement.(would that then make you a liar?) Facts being facts, and all that-and you already stated it as a fact...
(the bit where you say 'in fact', kinda commits you.....)
I won't be on here for a while now, I just had most of the day off today so hung around here making video's to see who bites (thanks for that, btw)
Thank for giving me so much of your attention in your post, though.
I'm flattered.
On the upside, you've actually committed and taken a position. Good for you!
Progress!
(How you react to being proven to be incorrect, will be an interestin' one...lefties hate apologizing - they think it makes them weak, or appear stupid....)
oh, I noticed that you didn't you didn't upvote my video???...hurt, I tells ya!lol
You din't find any of it useful/funny/.....something?
Toodle pip for now, matey, keep yer chin up.
Life's great!
https://steemit.com/blog/@lucylin/4-strikes-and-i-m-out-there-are-no-coincidences
I never realized you chums with
the communistbernie.Why do lefty commies hate the truth? (that's rhetorical)
https://steemit.com/blog/@lucylin/4-strikes-and-i-m-out-there-are-no-coincidences