Attention inequality forms a distinct axis of class alongside money

Evidence

These inequalities oppose the rich and the poor who are no longer (only) defined in terms of monetary revenue, but in terms of attention, differentiated according to the three nuances suggested by the German language – Zuwendung: in which direction are we looking? Aufmerksamkeit: whose presence and existence do we notice? Beachtung: whose needs and whose voice are we taking into consideration? — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 183

Categorization

• DEFINE: The three German terms give a precise tripartite vocabulary for attention inequality that anchors the whole Marxian frame of the book.
• XREF: Mirrors the class-structure argument in Parable of the Sower where poverty is defined by marginalization from knowledge and response, not just material lack. — connects to: Attention works as a needle weaving global links at the price of inequality — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 560; Fame now precedes wealth in the attention economy — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 139; Attention’s present-bound nature contradicts the notion of capital accumulation — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 157 (+7 more)

Broader Connections

• Attention operates as a form of capital that accrues interest and concentrates inequality. #expands (0.92) — Michael H. Goldhaber, The Attention Economy and the Net, 16
• Attention functions as convertible capital that individuals and institutions can bank and trade #expands (0.90) — Michael H. Goldhaber, The Attention Economy and the Net, 14
• Attention functions as a currency that compounds like interest. #expands (0.85) — Michael H. Goldhaber, The Attention Economy and the Net, 10
• The economic paradigm distorts our understanding of how attention actually functions #complicates (0.85) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 75
• Economic metaphors about attention conceal more than they reveal by hiding key differences #complicates (0.82) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 78
• Class difference persists even as class consciousness converges #expands (0.75) — Theodor W. Adorno, Minima Moralia, 193