One of the major things we have learned about in the past couple of classes is the attention economy. The attention economy refers to how the various companies of the current day compete with each other' for consumers' attention. After we learned about what it was, I started reflecting upon how the attention economy affects my media adventures. Now, most of the media I consume is related to geek culture in some way; I watch superhero movies, I read comic books, I play video games. What I did not realize how the attention economy impacted me. For example, Marvel Studios is releasing 6 new original series on Disney+ this year. Each show will be 6-10 episodes with new episodes being released every week. This is a response to consumers demanding new content regularly, so if Marvel wishes to keep the attention of consumers, such as myself, they have to keep telling fresh stories. Additionally, Marvel Comics release advanced previews for some of their books months before they are printed and distributed, all for the reason of drumming up excitement for said books. And it works. My brother and I always eagerly await these previews every month, and after reading them we discuss and talk about what we saw for at least an hour. This is how Marvel has gotten our attention, and kept it. There is a reason we watch and read their products the day they come out.
The attention economy has also been bolstered in recent years by the rise of technology. Social media platforms allow a company to release or announce something and then have thousands of people share and spread it digitally. With these sites like Twitter and YouTube, companies can enthrall many more consumers all across the world. For example, I love the video game franchise "Mortal Kombat." Just a few days ago, Warner Bros. released a trailer for a movie they are releasing based off of "Mortal Kombat." I watched the trailer on YouTube, and I enjoyed it, so I gave it a "like." Because of that, I now have been getting advertisements for the movie when I watch other videos on YouTube. Because of those advertisements, I am constantly reminded of the movie's existent, showcasing how the attention economy is extremely powerful in this technology-filled era.
When my brother and I are making our pitch presentation for our film, we are going to be keeping the attention economy in mind. We will emphasize how our film would be attractive to consumers in this current climate, taking into account our target audience of teenagers and young adults, the current COVID-19 pandemic, and many other factors. We will prove to whomever we would be pitching our project to that Mirrored Reality Productions is worth paying attention to, and that we will be able to grab the attention of consumers, benefitting both our company and theirs.
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