Governing in the ‘attention economy’ 

Key Takeaways

More than 50 years ago, Nobel Prize-winning economist Herbert Simon proclaimed that “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” That observation, made in 1971, has never been more consequential. 

The scale of today’s “attention economy” is striking. Americans now spend more than seven hours a day consuming digital media including streaming, work-related screen use and social media. A 2023 Pew Research study found that roughly half of U.S. adults say they are online “almost constantly.” For younger generations, the number is significantly higher.   

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This is not accidental. The platforms driving this behavior are engineered for it. Attention is not a byproduct of the digital economy. 

It is the product. Every notification, feed and algorithm is optimized to capture more of our attention. Every finger swipe translates into dollars.  

The consequences are measurable: MIT researchers, writing in Science, found that false information spreads farther and faster than the truth on social media. For county governments, that is not an abstract finding. It is our daily reality. 

This challenge demands adaptation, not retreat.  

The counties communicating most effectively in the attention economy are not necessarily those with the largest budgets or the most sophisticated technology. 

Consider Arlington County, Va., which is confronting a tougher fiscal environment than in recent history, driven by commercial real estate assessments being down as much as 20% while county expenses are outpacing revenue growth. 

Arlington County leaders went to residents early with a plain-language infographic laying out the hard choices: Potential service cuts, tax rate options and exactly what each penny added to the real estate tax rate means in dollars — $9.9 million in revenue, and $88 more per year for the average homeowner. With roughly 60% of county revenue tied to real estate taxes, residents needed to understand the stakes. The infographic made sure they could. 

Simon’s insight has never been more relevant: When information is infinite, attention is everything. 

The antidote is not just to push out more content. It is about building more credibility. 

Does your county have its own playbook now? 

In the attention economy, county storytelling is effective governance. 

What county leaders must do

Lead with clarity: Simplicity is strategy. Plain language and engaging visuals are not shortcuts. These are today’s standards. If your message doesn’t catch your eye or can’t be read with a quick scroll, it will be lost in cyber space.  

Be present with residents: Multi-channel communication is the baseline, not a luxury. Residents consume content across different platforms, formats and times of day. Identify the two or three channels where your residents are most active and show up there consistently—not just during a crisis. Everyday connections build credibility before you need it.  

Invest in trust before you need it: No message breaks through in a crisis if a relationship was never built. Counties that engage consistently and transparently earn the benefit of the doubt when it matters most. Commit to a regular cadence of multi-channel engagement. Trust is currency. Treat it that way.  

Make accurate information shareable: We cannot out-algorithm the platforms, but we can design for shareability. This requires content that is clear, credible and formatted for the channels residents actually use. Short videos, infographics and plain language summaries all travel further than PDFs. In a world where misinformation and disinformation spreads by design, accuracy must work just as hard.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​