Algorithmic Attention Rents in Big Tech Platforms - A Conversation

Explore a thought-provoking conversation featuring Tim O'Reilly, Mariana Mazzucato, and Ilan Strauss as they discuss their groundbreaking theory of algorithmic attention rents. Delve into how major tech platforms leverage their control over user attention to shape markets for their own benefit. Examine the advertising models that harvest, monetize, and resell attention, and consider the implications for other online business models. Learn about the authors' call for regulatory measures mandating disclosure of attention metrics and monetization details. Gain insights from this 57-minute discussion, hosted by Data & Policy journal editors Zeynep Engin and Jon Crowcroft, on the intersection of data science, governance, and the digital economy. Discover how platforms' growing capabilities enable them to extract rents from users and suppliers through algorithmic control over attention, and consider the broader implications for innovation, public value, and the future of the digital landscape.