Attention Trap: How Modern Media Profits from Fear Outrage and Addiction

Attention Trap explains how modern media systems turn fear, outrage, and compulsive engagement into profit. Drawing on the logic of the attention economy, the book shows how headlines, alerts, visuals, and platform design can intensify perceived threat, reward emotional reaction, and keep people returning for more. Rather than treating constant stimulation as a personal failing, it reveals the incentives that shape news and social platforms and the psychological pressures that make them so ...