By the mid-2010s attention was openly proclaimed the universal currency across industries

Evidence

James Franco, a C-list actor under the old metrics, and himself a self-confessed “Instagram addict,” would speak to its broad acceptance: “It’s what the movie studios want for their products, it’s what professional writers want for their work, it’s what newspapers want—hell, it’s what everyone wants: attention. Attention is power.” — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1049

Categorization

• APHORISMS: Franco’s line ‘Attention is power’ is a compact, watchable summary of the book’s entire thesis that a reader could return to.
• XREF: connects to: By 2014 attention had become an accepted currency itself, often paid instead of money — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 1049; Attention now functions like money as a common metric for cultural value. — Annual Review of Anthropology contributors (⚠ verify author line), The Political Economy of Attention, 18

Broader Connections

• Attention now functions like money as a common metric for cultural value. #corroborates (0.95) — Annual Review of Anthropology contributors (⚠ verify author line), The Political Economy of Attention, 18