Economic accounts of attention falsely derive the collective from individual activity

Evidence

We may address three main objections to this economization of attention. Firstly, as we have seen already, the currently dominant economic paradigm rests on a deceptive individualist methodology, which makes the collective the result of individual activities, when it is a matter of understanding how such individuals individualize themselves from the communal. — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 79

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors Frankfurt School’s methodological individualism critique; also parallels the reader’s prior work on how institutions/attention shape individuals rather than the reverse. — connects to: Attention serves communal needs rather than minority growth interests — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 548; Attention research is dominated by methodological individualism — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 63; Shared attention builds a collective rather than merely private reality — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 121 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Shared attention builds a collective rather than merely private reality #corroborates (0.95) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 121
• Attention is alignment, the same faculty on individual and collective levels #corroborates (0.90)
• Individual attention selection spontaneously aligns people into shared communities of sensibility #responds-to (0.85) — Yves Citton, The Ecology of Attention, 110