The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads by Tim Wu

The Attention Merchants: The Epic Scramble to Get Inside Our Heads is a timely and critically acclaimed book by Harvard professor Tim Wu. The book examines the emergence of the attention economy--where companies buy and sell consumer’s attention--and the implications this has for our lives. With a compelling narrative style, WU traces the rise of attention manipulation from the birth of advertising in ancient Rome, to the strategies employed by modern digital advertisers.

It’s easy to take the abundance of paid messages we receive daily for granted, yet they’re an integral part of modern life. Companies spend billions of dollars each year to capture our attention via television, print, and websites, and this figure only continues to increase. WU explains how these messages have become so pervasive throughout history, why they hold such sway over our lives, and how this impacts our future.

At the heart of The Attention Merchants is its exploration of the power dynamics between companies and consumers. WU outlines ways in which traditional media has consistently designed messages that are designed to make us consume more than we need, from product placement in movies to companies paying TV programs to feature their goods. He dissects how companies use our weaknesses to manipulate us, often through techniques such as in-app purchasing, impression management, and predatory pricing. WU argues that these techniques, while sometimes helpful, are often employed in an unethical manner to grab our attention and encourage us to consume more than is necessary.

WU also explores how digital media has further changed the attention economy. Technology companies, particularly those in the mobile space, harvest our data in order to target ads that they think will be most effective in persuading us to buy their products. He shows how this data harvesting has created countless opportunities for companies to manipulate us, from the narrow targeting of ads to a specific demographic, to the micromanagement of website design to create the perfect customer experience. WU explains the implications this has for our ability to think for ourselves and make informed choices about our purchases.

The Attention Merchants is ultimately a call to action. WU argues that, if we are to effectively protect ourselves from undue manipulation by companies, we have an obligation to become informed consumers. He encourages us to actively pursue a more responsible relationship with the companies that dictate what we see, hear, and buy, as well as to create a new standard for how smartphones and other forms of digital media are used.

The Attention Merchants is a riveting account of the forces at work in our world that we may rarely take the time to consider. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to better understand how companies go to great lengths to capture our attention, and the consequences this has for our lives.