Ever wondered how your casual TV time or scrolling through social media affects big industries and cultural norms? Get ready to have your eyes opened! Join us as we delve into the attention economy and the ripple effects of our media choices. We put reality TV under the microscope - examining how it hooks us with outrageous content, in stark contrast to more uplifting, thoughtful series like Ted Lasso. We also tackle the bombarding reality of being exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 ads every day - and offer tips on how to ensure what we consume aligns with our values and comes from trustworthy sources.
What's your attention worth? As we uncover the value of advertising in the attention economy, you'll realize how your time and focus can be monetized. It's not all about the money, though - we discuss how our media consumption habits can be a form of voting, shaping industries in subtle ways. We also expose the strategies reality TV uses to keep viewers engaged and highlight the importance of using our attention wisely. Wrapping it all up, we dive into transparency, ethics, and digital wellbeing in content creation, leaving you empowered to navigate media with a fresh perspective. Tune in for an enlightening discussion on the intersection of media, advertising, and values.
Ever wondered how your casual TV time or scrolling through social media affects big industries and cultural norms? Get ready to have your eyes opened! Join us as we delve into the attention economy and the ripple effects of our media choices. We put reality TV under the microscope - examining how it hooks us with outrageous content, in stark contrast to more uplifting, thoughtful series like Ted Lasso. We also tackle the bombarding reality of being exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 ads every day - and offer tips on how to ensure what we consume aligns with our values and comes from trustworthy sources.
What's your attention worth? As we uncover the value of advertising in the attention economy, you'll realize how your time and focus can be monetized. It's not all about the money, though - we discuss how our media consumption habits can be a form of voting, shaping industries in subtle ways. We also expose the strategies reality TV uses to keep viewers engaged and highlight the importance of using our attention wisely. Wrapping it all up, we dive into transparency, ethics, and digital wellbeing in content creation, leaving you empowered to navigate media with a fresh perspective. Tune in for an enlightening discussion on the intersection of media, advertising, and values.
Welcome to Curious Co-workers. A responsibly different talk show exploring the challenges that arise when our interests conflict with our values.
Speaker 2:
Hey Brittany. So I've been thinking a lot about how we vote with our dollars and recently Chris, the CEO of Deargo Collective, posted on LinkedIn a note about some recent social media shakeups and he closed it out by saying, and I quote your attention has repercussions period, use it wisely period. And that has really stuck with me. Put that in combination with an ad week article that I recently read where, as recently as June of 2023, fox News has continued their run of 28 consecutive months as the top-rated cable news network in total viewers and among adults aged 23 to 54. Now we know as a media company that the higher the rating, the more ad dollars they can command in the market.
Speaker 1:
Right, and in today's modern digital age, with an abundance of information and content available everywhere online, capturing and maintaining somebody's attention has become a crucial factor in various industries, particularly in advertising, media and social media.
Speaker 2:
So, with this in mind, britt, what are you watching these days? Is it ever a conflict for you and your values?
Speaker 1:
Yeah, I think this is a super interesting topic, ben, and it's hard as a consumer to always be thinking about what you're doing and how you're interacting with content. Sometimes we want to just sit back, relax and unwind. I know when I am the laziest and I'm just super exhausted I put on reality TV. It's sort of a guilty pleasure I have and I know it's bad. I think it's bad because the people that are on these reality TV shows they usually are treating each other with, you know, not the greatest respect. Historically, showing others respect doesn't get people to watch. It's the yelling, the fighting and the outrageous behavior that gets the views. But when I'm not watching reality TV, I'm watching the Lincoln lawyer or Silo and anxiously waiting for the next season of Emily in Paris Outer Banks. And don't even get me started with Yellowstone.
Speaker 2:
Oh my gosh, that's super real. I will say I do have a guilty pleasure of watching Big Brother in the reality TV realm, which is kicking off pretty soon here, I think in just the next couple of weeks. But for me I've been watching a lot of Apple TV, so Ted Lasso huge fan hijacked, and then some of the later fun stuff after party in Platonic. I was a huge Walking Dead fan and when the series came to a close I haven't really followed the rest of the Walking Dead universe. I feel like I have enough stress and suspense in the other areas that I've kind of let that one go.
Speaker 2:
Though Ghost is the only real cable network show that I'm watching. It's super light and fun. I highly recommend it. If folks are looking for something mindless to watch, you can catch it on CBS or I stream it on YouTube TV. Though, speaking of streaming, these media outlets can see what's getting the most views and how long people are tuning in, and it is directly shaping the kind of content that those studios are producing In this way. I personally am super excited about my love affair with Ted Lasso, in hopes that it brings about more of that thoughtful, witty, lighthearted and inspiring content, because we saw Ted Lasso win so many awards and gain so much critical acclaim, especially if you look at that show. It is a very thoughtful, lighthearted and inspiring series, so I hope that that brings about more goodness.
Speaker 1:
Wouldn't that be something if Ted Lasso changed the game for media. If we could change the game by just watching TV shows and movies that show characters treating people with respect, maybe there is hope for society. Ben, people can be doing this by voting with their media consumption habits. Ben, what was that stat about how many hours of advertisement people see a day?
Speaker 2:
Oh yeah, this was really interesting. Where did I read that? So, on average, people are exposed to between 6,000 and 10,000 advertisements a day, which really got me thinking. It is important to understand the sources of the media you consume. Is it someone's personal blog or a privately published article? That doesn't necessarily make it bad or inherently bad. You just want to make sure that the sources that you're consuming, especially as it pertains to news, are reputable. One way to do that is consider going to their About Us section on their website. Read about the organization. Another really great habit is to take a peek, especially if you're doing online reading. Take a peek at who the author is and the date of the article. You want to make sure that it's relevant and recent. Both of those things can be indicators to make sure that the content is actually helpful in serving you well. And then you can go a step further and you could also even Google the author to see what else they've written, to help kind of vet the content that you're reading.
Speaker 1:
And if you're a lover of audio consumption, like we are, and hopefully you are, if you're listening to the Responsibly Different podcast, consider listening carefully to how news and facts are framed. Is somebody maybe over inserting their opinion, or is it actual news? Or maybe it has a subjective language being inserted to help persuade you to see what they see? So listen carefully for those cues and try sticking to sources that you know. Take that more balanced approach.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I know. Personally, my favorite news source is NPR. I listen to main public broadcasting on my way to and from the gym in the morning, which is usually when I catch the BBC World News and top headline stateside.
Speaker 1:
A large part of what we are thinking about at DIGO Collective. Knowing that this attention economy is weighing heavily on society, we want to ensure that the content that we are putting out into the world is responsibly designed, has a digital well-being and follows ethical practices. To share some of the things that our content is tested against, we're always leading by example with our own marketing efforts. Transparency and honest communication is so important to us, and we are ensuring our content is adding value for our consumers before we post it or talk about it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, absolutely Brittany, and one of the goals with this Responsibly Different platform is to support all of our listeners all of you tuning in and listening right now by increasing your ability to make more informed decisions about how you use technology and media. So we've put together a short list of tips and tricks to help you get started.
Speaker 1:
Highlight your values by sharing your positive value impact that you are uniquely having on the world.
Speaker 2:
Ensure your content is not only attention grabbing but, more importantly, that it aligns your values, focusing on quality, relevant and valuable content for your audience. Also, when we say audience, anyone who engages with your brand is who we're considering as part of your audience.
Speaker 1:
Consider collaborating with others whose content is educating you and providing value.
Speaker 2:
And be transparent about the data that you're collecting and why you are collecting it. Also, provide super easy and clear opt-in and opt-out mechanisms for folks.
Speaker 1:
Use inclusive marketing practices and avoid using stereotypes. Be inclusive and authentic when representing diverse communities through your marketing.
Speaker 2:
And every now and again, encourage a digital detox. Create breaks for your community and for yourself by going on a little. Maybe social media hiatus yourself.
Speaker 1:
And monitor how people are interacting with you on social media and adapt as needed to ensure that your content is healthy and useful for them.
Speaker 2:
So, as you go out in the world and think about how you can vote with your dollars, remember that what you watch and share with friends has an amplifying effect that ripples out further than you will ever know. In the attention economy, the primary currency may not be money, rather your eyes and ears and the time and focus of individuals. Advertising is valuable because it can be monetized through advertising, brand exposure and user engagement. Remember your attention has repercussions. Use it wisely and until next time, be responsibly different. This episode was produced by Ben Marine and Brittany Angelo. This episode was produced by Ben Marine and Brittany Angelo. For more about Deergo Collective, visit deergocollectivecom or visit the link in your podcast player. Thank you for tuning in. We appreciate you.