Attention is Scarce

I am reading a book called The World After Capital (link) and I am becoming more and more convinced that attention is the most scarce resource that we have. It will only get more scarce as we move further into the 21st century and beyond.

My superpower will be how I can control and manage my attention. Knowing where my time, energy and money go to. Are they going to what I care about or to what the world wants me to care about? Those are the tough questions. By answering them, I have come realise that we are under-attack. Everyone is working to get your attention, from social media networks to politicians. They know that power can be found in the collective attention of many people. They will not tell you this but they know it. If you withdraw your attention, you suck them of something vital. They either turn violent or seek to negotiate, each of which will give you an answer as to what they care about.

Attention is to be guarded. If I start doing this now, I will be ahead of a lot of people and I will set the path for many people as we transition into the Knowledge Age, sounds like a great time to be alive.