Dear Friends
Recently, one of the spiritual personalities delivered a talk to MBA graduates of IIM Calcutta. He was discussing the attention economy and how it has quietly become a new form of currency.
Revenue in today’s world comes from training us to pay attention. The mobiles, ads, designs, and people around us are all working towards this new game. In this attention economy, our focus is constantly being captured and redirected, leading to intermittent attention. This is evident in schools, colleges, and workplaces, where people attend to tasks only sporadically, frequently distracted in between. Such fragmented attention is extremely harmful and can lead to a disintegration of the psyche.
Nowadays, when attending any meeting, training, function, or public gathering, you can often observe this issue. He was also referring to the book Deep Work, which emphasizes the tremendous value of focused and concentrated work.
For example, why does one song receive 1 million views, while another gets 1 billion? It’s not because the latter is a thousand times better, but because it captures attention far more effectively. Deep work—sustained, focused concentration—is increasingly rare today, yet it is highly energizing and productive.
He mentioned a boy who secured second rank in the JEE. This boy gives full concentration to every single activity. Once, somebody visited his hostel room at 6 AM in the morning, and he was meticulously cleaning every inch of the window corners, too, with intense focus and care. A small act—but it demonstrated the power of sustained attention. This boy gives 100% to everything he does.
On a different note, Dr. Ritesh, a leader of the World Economic Forum, posted an interesting real-life scenario:
“My cousin bought a ₹2.8 lakh sofa last month. Six months later, she'd spent another ₹1.45 lakhs. Coffee table. Curtains. Lighting. Rug. Wall art. ‘Everything looked mismatched,’ she said. ‘I need to repaint the walls now.’”
She wasn’t being indulgent—she was trapped in a 255-year-old psychological pattern.
Dr. Ritesh Malik highlights how the Diderot Effect explains why one premium purchase often triggers a cascade of additional spending. Your new sofa or car can make everything else feel outdated—leading to costly upgrades.
In India, this is amplified by Instagram’s 362 million users, who are constantly inspired by curated homes, the rise of easy EMIs and “Buy Now, Pay Later” options, and retail setups that tempt us to buy more. Durable, long-lasting furniture is being replaced every 5 years—driven not by need, but by attention-seeking upgrades.
In fact, why do we do all this? To draw the attention of others? Or to give our own eyes a fleeting feast? If you have the money, it may still be acceptable. But doing this on EMI or debt is a dangerous trap.
We bought our sofa exactly 25 years ago in Bangalore. It has now moved with us to a fourth city. Somehow, it didn’t break or scratch! Of course, it looks old-fashioned—not jumbo-sized or fluffy. But instead of replacing it, we just painted it—and we’re still using it.
Many homes are collapsing under the weight of debt. People are taking extreme steps, including suicides. If we earn 10 rupees, we should live with 9—not spend 20.
Prof. Chetan Singh Solanki from IIT Bombay is raising public consciousness about climate change. He’s encouraging local energy generation and consumption in line with Gandhian principles and has built a people-powered movement called the Finite Earth Movement (FEM). Prof. Solanki resigned from IIT Bombay to dedicate himself full-time to this mission. He has pledged not to return home until 2030, living fully in a solar bus.
The attention economy may bring immediate happiness, but it rarely offers lasting comfort.
Are you also caught in this trap?
Ravi Saripalle
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