Attention Is a Commodity and You Should Price It
season S4 · episode 5 · block #868995
synopsis
A deep philosophical episode on the attention marketplace as more than an ad system — it's a promoted note network where anyone can pay to surface content. Ian and Mandana explore respect in trade, the difference between advertising and attention selling, and how product placement in TV/movies is a form of unconsented attention theft. Mandana shares her father's childhood training to look away from TV ads.
quotes
"We didn't call it the ad marketplace. We called it the attention marketplace."
"You literally mine Bitcoin with your attention."
"It's literally pay to not be abused." — On subscription services
"They just stole that money from me. Like that's the mental shift that I hope that the attention marketplace can create."
"Once there's one alternative to that model, you now have, as Bitcoiners know, there's an opportunity cost."
"My dad has trained me to tune out advertisements." — Mandana
"Yeah, I'm a drug dealer." — Mandana on pilling people
topics
Attention marketplace as broader than advertising (promoted notes)Attention as a synthetic commodityRespect in trade and advertising ethicsProduct placement as unconsented advertisingMandana's father training her to ignore TV adsMining Bitcoin with your attentionNostr adoption driving Bitcoin adoptionCapitalism vs. trade vs. decentralized marketplaces