Yossi Hendriati, Dadi Akhmad Permana

Attention Scarcity and Value Competition in the Digital Economy

Introduction

Attention scarcity and value competition in the digital economy. Examines how attention scarcity drives value competition among firms & platforms in the digital economy. Synthesizes literature on algorithmic capture, market power, and regulatory responses.

Abstract

The proliferation of digital platforms has transformed human attention into one of the scarcest and most contested economic resources of the twenty-first century. This article examines how attention scarcity structures value competition among firms, platforms, and users in the digital economy, synthesizing theoretical and empirical literature published between 2021 and 2026 on attention markets, platform market power, and value extraction. Using a systematic conceptual literature synthesis, twenty-five peer-reviewed and preprint sources were identified, screened, and integrated into an Attention Scarcity-Value Competition (ASVC) framework connecting the cognitive foundations of attention, the algorithmic mechanisms platforms use to capture it, and the institutional and regulatory responses these mechanisms provoke. The findings indicate that platforms compete not merely for market share but for finite units of user attention, converting sustained engagement into advertising rents, data assets, and social value signals. This competition produces asymmetric value extraction, cognitive lock-in, and mounting regulatory scrutiny under competition and antitrust law. The article's principal contribution is a multi-level framework distinguishing micro (cognitive), meso (platform-strategic), and macro (institutional-regulatory) layers of attention-driven value competition, addressing a persistent gap in literature that has treated these layers in isolation. Implications are discussed for platform governance, digital marketing strategy, and future measurement of attention as an economic currency

Review

The proposed article, "Attention Scarcity and Value Competition in the Digital Economy," addresses a profoundly timely and critical issue at the intersection of economics, cognitive science, and digital policy. By positing human attention as a scarce and intensely contested economic resource in the digital era, the authors set out to systematically examine how this scarcity shapes value competition among diverse actors. The methodology, a systematic conceptual literature synthesis drawing from a recent and forward-looking five-year span (2021-2026), indicates a rigorous approach to integrate contemporary scholarship. The abstract effectively conveys the ambition to construct an Attention Scarcity-Value Competition (ASVC) framework, promising a novel lens through which to understand the complex dynamics of digital value creation and capture. A significant strength of this work lies in its principal contribution: the development of a multi-level ASVC framework that explicitly distinguishes between micro (cognitive), meso (platform-strategic), and macro (institutional-regulatory) layers. This explicit articulation directly tackles an acknowledged gap in the literature, which has historically treated these interconnected dimensions in isolation. The synthesis of theoretical and empirical insights concerning attention markets, platform power, and value extraction, combined with the integration of cognitive foundations, algorithmic mechanisms, and regulatory responses, suggests a highly comprehensive and nuanced understanding. This framework promises to illuminate the mechanisms behind asymmetric value extraction, cognitive lock-in, and the escalating regulatory scrutiny faced by digital platforms, offering a cohesive explanatory model for these pervasive phenomena. The implications discussed for platform governance, digital marketing strategy, and the future measurement of attention as an economic currency underscore the substantial practical and theoretical utility of this research. By providing a structured framework that connects disparate facets of the digital economy, the article positions itself as a foundational text that could significantly inform policy debates, business strategies, and academic discourse on the political economy of attention. This work appears poised to offer a much-needed integrated perspective on a core challenge of the digital age, making a compelling case for its relevance and potential to shape future research agendas and practical interventions in the attention economy.

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