Pre-democratic rulers cultivated inaccessibility as an expression of power.

Evidence

Remember that, for much of human history, rulers did not feel any particular need for public attention, and, indeed, usually tried to avoid it. Apart from rituals such as triumphal entry into the lands of a new subject people, dating back to the Romans, and the Royal Progress, the jaunt first undertaken in medieval times to “show the sacred body of the prince,” kings and queens once depended on the mystique of inaccessibility as an expression of power. — Tim Wu, The Attention Merchants, 129

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the attention economy’s inversion: scarcity of attention was once a mark of power, whereas today capturing attention is the goal — ties to the broader attention-merchant history. — connects to: Perceived majesty in rulers springs from their power, not their features.; Mystified power thrives when citizens are far from its sources

Broader Connections

• Mystified power thrives when citizens are far from its sources #expands (0.85)
• Perceived majesty in rulers springs from their power, not their features. #expands (0.80)