Attention is all they need: Cognitive science and the (techno)political economy of attention in humans and machines

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This paper critically analyses the "attention economy" within the framework of cognitive science and techno-political economics, as applied to both human and machine interactions.

• We explore how current business models, particularly in digital platform capitalism, harness user engagement by strategically shaping attentional patterns.
• These platforms utilize advanced AI and massive data analytics to enhance user engagement, creating a cycle of attention capture and data extraction.
• We review contemporary (neuro)cognitive theories of attention and platform engagement design techniques and criticize classical cognitivist and behaviourist theories for their inadequacies in addressing the potential harms of such engagement on user autonomy and wellbeing.