Andy Sauer
“What we are getting from the audience is the world’s most valuable commodity: human attention. Everybody is fighting for it.” – Zarna Garg
A year ago, I had never heard of the comedian Zarna Garg, though it wasn’t for her lack of trying.
In addition to a comedy tour, she has several streaming comedy specials, a YouTube channel, an Instagram feed, a Facebook page, an X profile, a weekly podcast, numerous appearances on major talk shows, a best-selling book and a role in a critically acclaimed movie.
I guess I’m not that into comedy.
I am familiar with concepts in communications, and I have never heard anyone measure human attention higher than any other commodity – gold, petroleum or even Bitcoin.
And I think she’s right.
Take the aforementioned crypto currency. It does not exist. It is not even a coin. It is a string of roughly 30 alphanumeric characters with an accompanying passcode whose value is derived by whatever investors will pay for it ($71,388 as of this writing.) The human attention of maybe a billion has created a significant sector of the global economy out of absolutely nothing.
And, when you ponder the endless non-existential things people hold dear, it’s possible that human attention may have always been the most valuable commodity.
So, why are we just giving it away to cute cat clips, epic fail memes and other assorted viral videos?
We all know why. It didn’t take three separate court rulings this year to confirm something we’ve feared for a while: digital media is addictive.
Appeals courts and maybe The Supreme Court will decide where the liability of such an apparent malady falls, but it only takes a casual glance at the number of people staring at their phones in any given moment in any given place (work, restaurants and even highways) to conclude that, yes, human beings have a big problem with digital media.
Unfortunately, as with all addictions, there may not be a universal cure for a runaway digital habit. The burden of recovery lies with the individual.
It all boils down to this: Whatever is tapping into your valuable human attention, is it making you feel more fulfilled or a better person?
For me, given the intense time drain and sleep deprivation inflicted by an endless series of short videos, the answer is decidedly no. After hours of doomscrolling, I feel like I just ate a giant bag of off-brand cool ranch tortilla chips — sick to my stomach but oddly hungry for more.
So, when it comes to digital media, I cut myself off – sort of.
Monday through Friday, I delete all social media apps from my phone. On Saturday, I reinstall them. Mostly, I try to catch up on the things I missed — posts on the Suffield forum — especially Don DeRos’ heartfelt reflections, Red Sox clips and assorted posts from friends.
I still fall prey to the insidious time warp of viral videos, as I did just a few hours ago, but at least it doesn’t interfere with my job and other responsibilities.
Besides, I just started following that comedian Zarna Garg, and she’s kind of funny.