The challenge of creating digital resources in an attention Economy

This chapter will provide the context for decision making about the selection and creation of content for digital resources. Chapters 5 and 6 onwards explore these contexts further, so this chapter focuses on the broad picture of the attention economy and how this influences digital culture. In response to an understanding of the influences and motivators in an attention economy, then a broad concept of how selection and creation of digital content leads towards impactful resources may be considered.

Defining digital resources

The following parameters help to scope what a digital resource is.

• • There is a defined resource that is made up of a describable, cohesive set of primary and secondary materials, services, products and activities.

• • The resource is accessed primarily through a digital platform (web, mobile or other means).

• • The nature of the content within the resource is digital – achieved either through digitisation or as born-digital content.

• • There is a definable group of users that the resource is intended to reach by digital means.

• • The resource does not have to stand alone; it could be part of a broader set of activities, products or services.

Digital in an attention economy

In the Introduction, the terms ‘digital’ and the ‘attention economy’ were both briefly defined. It is instructive that many people can state what digital is with ease, while often not understanding what it does or how it does it. Digital becomes analogous to breathing, in the sense that it has become such a ubiquitous and natural part of our lives to access or receive digital content or technologies that we do so without much conscious thought. Digital does not create a scarcity of information. To the contrary, it creates a digital deluge that immerses and potentially drowns. The attention economy reflects that the scarcity in a digital domain is not the data or the information. What we are competing for is attention, the ability to ‘attend to’ the information, to take time to spend with a resource. We need to think about that as being one of the leading indicators of success and possible impact.