Attention

Attention coordination describes companies whose primary function is aggregating, directing, or monetizing human attention. These organizations compete for the limited resource of human focus and convert that focus into economic value.

Attention is finite. People can only attend to a limited amount of information, entertainment, or stimulation at any moment. Companies that coordinate attention position themselves in the path of human focus—capturing it, shaping it, or selling access to it. Media companies produce content that attracts attention. Advertising networks direct attention toward messages. Social platforms aggregate attention around user-generated content. Entertainment companies compete for leisure hours.

Attention-coordinated companies typically exhibit certain structural characteristics:

• Engagement-driven feedback loops — Success in capturing attention often enables capturing more attention. Popular content attracts viewers, which makes it more visible, which attracts more viewers.
• Sensitivity to preference shifts — Attention follows interest. Changes in what people care about can rapidly redirect attention flows.
• Indirect monetization — The attention itself is often not sold directly. Instead, access to the attention is sold to advertisers, or attention is converted into subscriptions, transactions, or data.
• Content dependency — Sustaining attention typically requires continuous content production or curation. Attention fades without renewal.

The coordination challenge for attention companies is maintaining relevance while managing the costs of content creation, curation, or platform operation. They must also navigate the tension between maximizing attention capture and maintaining the quality or trust that attracts attention in the first place.

Attention coordination differs from interface coordination in its focus on human psychology rather than operational simplification. An interface company hides complexity; an attention company competes for focus. The distinction matters because the constraints and dynamics differ. Interface companies optimize for utility; attention companies optimize for engagement.

The line between attention coordination and other types can blur. A social platform may exhibit both interface characteristics (connecting users) and attention characteristics (competing for time). Classification focuses on the dominant coordination role.