The rise of the inattention economy
Muse #340 - perhaps that is the need of the hour
Quick. Think of what is the world’s largest website. Yeah. I thought “Google” too. And I was wrong. It is the sign of the times. The tech giant was pushed into second place as TikTok took the No. 1 spot as the most popular website in 2021, according to cybersecurity company Cloudflare.
In 2020, Google took the No. 1 spot while TikTok came in at No. 7, making the feat of reaching No. 1 by jumping six spots all the more noteworthy. In September, TikTok hit a new record, reporting 1 billion monthly active users.
The top 10 most popular websites in 2021 can be seen below.
TikTok
Google
Facebook
Microsoft
Apple
Amazon
Netflix
YouTube
Twitter
WhatsApp
The emergent patterns are that people are trending towards more online socialization and entertainment. But the rise of the “nonsense” entertainment website like Tiktok shows the growth in the inattention span economy. Keeping people stuck in short bursts of bite-sized dopamine-inducing material of the lightweight variety. Though they are trying to move up the value chain into the more serious stuff as well.
I personally don’t use Tiktok and most social products like Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Snapchat, etc. But that could be because I am considered old-school or narrow-focused on the internet.
Perhaps inattention is the new attention and the sign of things to come.
Additional reading:
TikTok ousts Google to become favourite online destination — https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59768617
How Much Does Big Tech Make Every Minute? — https://www.visualcapitalist.com/how-much-does-big-tech-make-every-minute/
From Amazon to Zoom: What Happens in an Internet Minute In 2021? — https://www.visualcapitalist.com/from-amazon-to-zoom-what-happens-in-an-internet-minute-in-2021/
Ranked: The World’s Most Downloaded Apps — https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-most-downloaded-apps/