Attention theft is a theory in economic sociology and psychology which describes situations in which marketers serve advertisements to consumers who have not consented to view them and who are given nothing in return. Perpetrators seek to distract targets with their advertising content, thereby commandeering their attention.[1][2][3]
Attention theft has been criticized as an example of unethical marketing. It is related to the concept of the attention economy,[1] which posits that attention is a scarce resource and applies economic theory to it.[3]
- ^ a b Wu, Tim (14 April 2017). "The Crisis of Attention Theft—Ads That Steal Your Time for Nothing in Return". Wired. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ McFedries, Paul (22 May 2014). "Stop, Attention Thief!". IEEE Spectrum. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ a b McCullough, Malcolm (2013). Ambient Commons: Attention in the Age of Embodied Information. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-31348-3.