Your attention is the product

It’s long been said that “if you’re not paying for a service, then you’re the product” when it comes to things like Facebook or Twitter. While that’s essentially true, it’s not really you that is the product — it’s your attention.

In an increasingly chaotic world, your attention is likely your post important resource. If you give too much in one place, you have less to give to others. As I’ve said before, unwelcome attention-grabbing is why we all hate robocalls.

Facebook continues to cost $0 to use, which means your attention is what you’re selling every time you log on. That’s not necessarily an unfair trade, but just remember that you’re making the trade next time you visit.