Attention as a Modern Luxury Good
By
herbertl
7mo ago· 1 min readenOpinion
38/100
Stale
Bagelometer↗
Has the shape of a bagel but none of the steam.
Score38TypeopinionSentimentneutral
Summary
The article argues that attention has become a luxury good in modern society, similar to expensive status symbols like Birkin bags. It posits that luxury isn't about quality or performance but rather about the ability to afford what others might consider wasteful. The author suggests that activities like reading entire non-fiction books, listening to public radio, or attending concerts represent luxury uses of attention because they involve 'wasting' attention on nuance and depth rather than consuming quick, easily digestible content.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledLuxury goods are special: they are scarce and expensive, and they earn us status with some folks because it shows that we paid more than we needed to.
Luxury isn't about quality, suitability or performance. Luxury isn't a more accurate watch or a faster processor. Luxury is a marker that we can afford to do something others might consider wasteful.
A Birkin bag is a luxury good, and so is reading an entire non-fiction book, listening to a public radio broadcast or attending a concert when we could stay at home and listen for free.
By 'wasting' our attention on nuance...
Luxury goods are special: they are scarce and expensive, and they earn us status with some folks because it shows that we paid more than we needed to. Luxury isn’t about quality, suitability …
