A Worldwide Preoccupation

Available for over a year

In the first of five essays, writer and journalist Madeleine Bunting begins a week-long exploration of why attention has become a major social concern. Attention, she finds, is now big business - where we cast our eyes on a computer screen, and for how long, has become a key factor in advertising. Attention is something we both 'pay' and want to 'attract' - and for a journalist, Madeleine admits, it can be quite addictive. And, as so many people search for their 15 minutes of micro-fame online, getting as much attention as we can seems to have become a worldwide preoccupation. How worried should we be?