TECHEp 46·September 25, 2026·1:02
THE ATTENTION TRAP: HOW ALGORITHMS HIJACK YOUR BRAIN
1:02
THE EPISODE
Tech journalist Marcus Webb was waiting for his train when we stopped him with one question: who owns your attention? His answer cut through the noise. Every scroll, every autoplay, every notification is an engineered dopamine hit designed by teams of PhDs whose only job is to keep you on the platform one second longer. The attention economy isn't a metaphor — it's a trillion-dollar extraction machine.
On the Street
Marcus Webb
Topics
#technology#algorithms#social media#attention economy
Aired
September 25, 2026
New TV · Thursday 8PM
60-Second Transcript
"Your phone is not a tool. It's a slot machine you carry in your pocket. Every notification is a variable reward — the same mechanism that makes gambling addictive. The algorithms don't care what you believe or how you feel. They care about engagement. Outrage gets clicks. Fear gets shares. The business model is your attention, and the product is you. The only way to win is to stop playing."
— Marcus Webb
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