The attention advantage: how Internet companies profit from the uninformed consumer
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51896/easc.v3i1.878Keywords:
Media companies, social media, digital privacy, data brokerage, attention, data, internetAbstract
This paper presents an analysis of the role of a consumer in a social internet. It reviews privacy and data collection practices, modern media companies, digital advertising, and the impacts consumers and users face in the current digital landscape. It explains the landscape of data brokerage and the role modern technology companies have in the digital economy. This analysis draws connections between how informed consumers are and how they behave online, arguing that mixed media companies benefit from uninformed consumers. The paper provides the critical context of large, for-profit internet companies within an ecosystem that the majority of the global population operates within. This understanding sets the foundation for research related to digital economies and media engagement online and can equip users with an opportunity for more informed decision making at the individual and policy levels.
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