Understand the platform and attention economy

Definition

Understanding who pays for what in the digital ecosystem, which data is extracted and monetised, what share of the value is captured by whom, and what incentives follow for platforms and creators alike. This is the reading key to the shift from an attention economy to an intention economy.

Components

• Platform business models: advertising, subscription, commission, data exploitation
• Attention as a scarce resource: capture mechanisms, the cognitive cost of what is free
• Distribution of value between creators and platforms: monetisation, creator funds, asymmetries
• Structural dependencies: what the platform gives, what it can take back
• The main logics of regulation (competition, data, advertising transparency) and their concrete effects

The four levels

1. N1 Discovery Lower secondary · complete beginner

   Is able to explain how a free application makes money.

   Evidence of assessment

   Explain the business model of two digital services they use daily.

2. N2 Application Upper secondary · advanced beginner

   Is able to analyse the economic incentives behind a platform feature or decision.

   Evidence of assessment

   Analyse a recent platform change (feature, rule, format) through the lens of its economic incentives.

3. N3 Adaptation Tertiary · junior professional

   Is able to produce a structured analysis of the business model and biases of a major platform.

   Evidence of assessment

   Produce a ten-point analysis of the business model and biases of a major digital platform.

4. N4 Orchestration Experienced professional

   Is able to assess the systemic effects of a shift in the attention economy and to steer strategy accordingly.

   Evidence of assessment

   Produce a strategy note linking a shift in the attention market to concrete decisions in a real project.