Beyond the attention economy, towards an ecology of attending. A manifesto
Issued Date
2025-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
09515666
eISSN
14355655
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105009213248
Journal Title
AI and Society
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
AI and Society (2025)
Suggested Citation
Bombaerts G., Hannes T., Adam M., Aloisi A., Anderson J., Arvidson P.S., Berger L., Bettera S.D., Campo E., Candiotto L., Caprioglio Panizza S., Ciaunica A., Citton Y., D´Angelo D., Dennis M.J., Depraz N., Doran P., Drechsler W., Edelglass W., Eisenberger I., Fortney M., McGuire B.F., Fredriksson A., Hershock P.D., Hongladarom S., IJsselsteijn W., Jacobs B., Karsai G., Laureys S., Lennerfors T.T., Lim J., Lin C.T., Lamson W., Losoncz M., Loy D., Marin L., Marosan B.P., Mascarello C., McMahan D.L., Park J.Y., Petek N., Puzio A., Schaubroeck K., Shakya S., Shi J., Solomonova E., Tormen F., Uttam J., van Vugt M., Vörös S., Wehrle M., Wellner G., Wirth J.M., Witkowski O., Wongkitrungrueng A., Wright D.S., Yuen H.S., Zheng Y. Beyond the attention economy, towards an ecology of attending. A manifesto. AI and Society (2025). doi:10.1007/s00146-025-02405-8 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/111100
Title
Beyond the attention economy, towards an ecology of attending. A manifesto
Author(s)
Bombaerts G.
Hannes T.
Adam M.
Aloisi A.
Anderson J.
Arvidson P.S.
Berger L.
Bettera S.D.
Campo E.
Candiotto L.
Caprioglio Panizza S.
Ciaunica A.
Citton Y.
D´Angelo D.
Dennis M.J.
Depraz N.
Doran P.
Drechsler W.
Edelglass W.
Eisenberger I.
Fortney M.
McGuire B.F.
Fredriksson A.
Hershock P.D.
Hongladarom S.
IJsselsteijn W.
Jacobs B.
Karsai G.
Laureys S.
Lennerfors T.T.
Lim J.
Lin C.T.
Lamson W.
Losoncz M.
Loy D.
Marin L.
Marosan B.P.
Mascarello C.
McMahan D.L.
Park J.Y.
Petek N.
Puzio A.
Schaubroeck K.
Shakya S.
Shi J.
Solomonova E.
Tormen F.
Uttam J.
van Vugt M.
Vörös S.
Wehrle M.
Wellner G.
Wirth J.M.
Witkowski O.
Wongkitrungrueng A.
Wright D.S.
Yuen H.S.
Zheng Y.
Hannes T.
Adam M.
Aloisi A.
Anderson J.
Arvidson P.S.
Berger L.
Bettera S.D.
Campo E.
Candiotto L.
Caprioglio Panizza S.
Ciaunica A.
Citton Y.
D´Angelo D.
Dennis M.J.
Depraz N.
Doran P.
Drechsler W.
Edelglass W.
Eisenberger I.
Fortney M.
McGuire B.F.
Fredriksson A.
Hershock P.D.
Hongladarom S.
IJsselsteijn W.
Jacobs B.
Karsai G.
Laureys S.
Lennerfors T.T.
Lim J.
Lin C.T.
Lamson W.
Losoncz M.
Loy D.
Marin L.
Marosan B.P.
Mascarello C.
McMahan D.L.
Park J.Y.
Petek N.
Puzio A.
Schaubroeck K.
Shakya S.
Shi J.
Solomonova E.
Tormen F.
Uttam J.
van Vugt M.
Vörös S.
Wehrle M.
Wellner G.
Wirth J.M.
Witkowski O.
Wongkitrungrueng A.
Wright D.S.
Yuen H.S.
Zheng Y.
Author's Affiliation
The University of Tokyo
University of Oxford
University of California, Berkeley
Université McGill
Università degli Studi di Milano
Uppsala Universitet
Universiteit Utrecht
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Delft University of Technology
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Universität Wien
Universidade de Lisboa
Université Laval
Queen's University Belfast
University of Belgrade
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Dalhousie University
Univerza v Ljubljani
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
Universiteit Antwerpen
Universiteit Twente
Mahidol University
University of Victoria
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Université de Rouen Normandie
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Tallinna Tehnikaülikool
Università Ca' Foscari Venezia
American University
Tzu Chi University
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Univerzita Pardubice
Marshall University
Université Paris 8 Vincennes-St Denis
Seattle University
Holon Institute of Technology
Occidental College
Marist College
East-West Center
Budapest Business University
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Nan Tien Institute
Eur.Commiss.
Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest
Being AI Corporation
Strother School of Radical Attention
Italian Buddhist Union Research Centre
Friends of Attention
University of Oxford
University of California, Berkeley
Université McGill
Università degli Studi di Milano
Uppsala Universitet
Universiteit Utrecht
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Delft University of Technology
Chinese University of Hong Kong
Universität Wien
Universidade de Lisboa
Université Laval
Queen's University Belfast
University of Belgrade
Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Dalhousie University
Univerza v Ljubljani
Technische Universiteit Eindhoven
Universiteit Antwerpen
Universiteit Twente
Mahidol University
University of Victoria
Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam
Université de Rouen Normandie
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Tallinna Tehnikaülikool
Università Ca' Foscari Venezia
American University
Tzu Chi University
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Univerzita Pardubice
Marshall University
Université Paris 8 Vincennes-St Denis
Seattle University
Holon Institute of Technology
Occidental College
Marist College
East-West Center
Budapest Business University
Mahachulalongkornrajavidyalaya University
Barre Center for Buddhist Studies
Nan Tien Institute
Eur.Commiss.
Dharma Gate Buddhist College in Budapest
Being AI Corporation
Strother School of Radical Attention
Italian Buddhist Union Research Centre
Friends of Attention
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
We endorse policymakers’ efforts to address the negative consequences of the attention economy’s technology but add that these approaches are often limited in their criticism of the systemic context of human attention. Starting from Buddhist philosophy, we advocate a broader approach: an ‘ecology of attending’ that centers on conceptualizing, designing, and using attention (1) in an embedded way and (2) focused on the alleviating of suffering. With ‘embedded’ we mean that attention is not a neutral, isolated mechanism but a meaning-engendering part of an ‘ecology’ of bodily, sociotechnical and moral frameworks. With ‘focused on the alleviation of suffering’ we mean that we explicitly move away from the (often implicit) conception of attention as a tool for gratifying desires. We analyze existing inquiries in these directions and urge them to be intensified and integrated. As to the design and function of our technological environment, we propose three questions for further research: How can technology help to acknowledge us as ‘ecological’ beings, rather than as self-sufficient individuals? How can technology help to raise awareness of our moral framework? And how can technology increase the conditions for ‘attending’ to the alleviation of suffering, by substituting our covert self-driven moral framework with an ecologically attending one? We believe in the urgency of transforming the inhumane attention economy sociotechnical system into a humane ecology of attending, and in our ability to contribute to it.