The Attention Merchants

Archival Summary & Scope

In *The Attention Merchants*, Tim Wu, the acclaimed author who coined "net neutrality," delivers a revelatory history of how capturing and reselling human attention became the defining industry of our time. Wu traces over a century of "attention merchants"—from early advertising to today's mobile web, social media giants, and celebrity power brands—who have consistently offered free diversion in exchange for our valuable consideration, subsequently sold to advertisers. This insightful account explores how this relentless commodification shapes our modern, often distracted, lives. Wu details the various revolts against this pervasive influence while illustrating how these industries continually adapt, profoundly altering our cognitive, social, and political landscapes in unprecedented ways.