The Attention Economy
Sometime last week I was taking a routine lap of the internet - checking bank accounts, email, and news from the serious to the ridiculous - and I stumbled upon a news story. A woman had hung herself upside down inside a large bell, naked, as a way to raise awareness for something or other. I forget what the point of this stunt was. But it got me thinking about how much noise is out there and how difficult it can be to cut through it.
It is now more difficult than ever to get and hold peoples’ attention. We are subjected to an absolute avalanche of advertisements, content, videos, emails, pop-ups, automated cold calls, distractions, and more all fighting for one thing - our attention.
My mom asked me why one of her apps had changed its layout recently. The answer, in my opinion, is pretty straightforward - the change increases the amount of time people spend on the platform which increases what the app can charge advertisers. Every app is trying to do this. Remember, if you’re not paying for something, then you are the product. Hell, even if you are paying for something you could still be the product.
We have also quietly hit an inflection point. More content on the internet is created by AI than by humans. I saw a graphic recently that claimed only about 14% of people are using AI. So, if that small of a user base is generating that much AI content, imagine what happens when more people use AI. The avalanche is only going to get worse, and the amount of “AI slop” fighting for your attention is going to be incredible.
AI Produces More Content Than Humans - And That Gap Will Continue to Grow
Now on to the stone industry. Historically we have tended to “let our work do the talking” which has been a great strategy since we as an industry do some fantastic work (perhaps I’m biased but look at the National Cathedral or Empire State Building and tell me differently). But things have changed over the years and the noise is deafening. Letting our work speak for itself is no longer enough to capture peoples’ attention. What are we as an industry doing to tell our story and let people know that stone is not just for projects from the past but also a way to build an enduring legacy today?
AI is probably the single hottest topic in business today. And it’s a great tool for a variety of things. My hot take? Don’t outsource your messaging to AI. As it becomes more widely used, people are going to sense when content is AI generated vs. authentic. AI has some distinct “tells” and people are going to be more knowledgeable about these as the tech is more widely adopted. Think people can’t tell if AI wrote it? Some people maybe can’t, but many can. Do you want your messaging to be more AI generated content, or do you want to tell your story authentically in a way that other people can tell is human and relatable?
AI can do a lot of things. It cannot replace genuine human connection. One thing that’s uniquely human? Stories. We have evolved to love stories - why do we go to the movies or watch TV shows? What do kids demand to hear before bedtime? The human brain craves stories and has since the days of hunter gatherers sitting around a campfire at night.
I would like to challenge our industry - tell your story, tell it authentically in your voice, and share it widely. I think one of the most effective ways to do this is by video. YouTube is the second largest search engine online, and I think people generally prefer watching videos to reading articles. If your company wants to set up a YouTube channel, I’d be happy to share what I’ve learned so please reach out.
Your Authentic Story is More Powerful than “AI Slop”
We don’t need to hang naked inside a bell, but we do need to make some noise.
-Alex