Attention please!
The Attention Economy, a concept defined by Michael Goldhaber (1997), suggests that in the digital age, attention (not information) has become the scarce commodity. In a world where content is abundant and ever-expanding, the key challenge for creators like me, is to capture and sustain attention. My digital artefact, Camperyachties, explores this space by documenting my career on Superyachts and now Vanlife, shared mainly through platforms like Instagram, TikTok and facebook.
Originally, I asked Leonardo AI to turn my timeline of events into a visual timeline – but it is terrible at spelling! (See image below) Read on to see what I have been up to…
In mid-March 2025, I began developing a strategy to boost engagement by connecting with fellow students in the BCM112 Discord group, which helped build a supportive foundation. From there, I committed to engaging daily with at least ten Instagram profiles—an early tactic that increased visibility and started building momentum for me to create more content for Camperyachties.
A significant technical challenge arose when I attempted to link Instagram and TikTok for cross-posting. While unsuccessful, I learned to rely on manually posting the content to Tiktok. I have Instagram and Facebook linked to post content automatically. Helping me to optimising content distribution and audience reach.
On March 30th, I used Meta Business Suite for the first time to schedule a post for April 3rd. The scheduled post, a reel about superyacht sizes we’ve worked on, became a success, gaining over 12K views. This was a key learning moment: simplicity and clear messaging often outperform complex edits. Boosting the post via ads also helped increase engagement, highlighting the importance of paid strategies within the Attention Economy. As Goldhaber (1997) explains, attention is the scarce resource, meaning that content creators must develop strategies to capture and retain audience focus, often through simplicity and consistency. Using a paid source for a brief moment, meant more eye balls were finally seeing our page.
Check out the viral reel below:
What happened next..
Later, I tested brand engagement by creating a reel featuring Cocobella products, hoping for a share from the brand. While they responded with a “Thanks for sharing”, it wasn’t the outcome I expected. The video’s length and lack of direct alignment with the brand may have contributed to its limited success. This was a valuable lesson in targeting content more precisely to the brand’s interests.
As a result…
The launch of the superyacht reel allowed me to shift to more practical content, I created a money-saving carousel, aiming to provide value to the growing audience. As the project progressed, I adapted to audience feedback and refined my media-making approach, underscoring the importance of audience interaction in the Attention Economy.
Peer Discussion
In our peer discussion, we shared insights about engaging audiences on Instagram and TikTok. We discussed how we are experimenting with new strategies and how our approach to audience engagement is evolving. The feedback reinforced the need for authentic, interactive content to foster stronger connections with followers.
To conclude
Reflecting on this project so far, I’ve learned the significance of audience engagement and the need for consistent, targeted content. The project has evolved as I adapt to the dynamics of the Attention Economy. My aim for the coming weeks it to post more consistently with content that my audience responds well to.
BONUS CONTENT:
April 5th also marked an unexpected challenge when my 2019 MacBook Air died. This disruption was a stark reminder of how reliant I am on technology. I had replaced it with a new MacBook Air featuring the M4 chip. The advanced AI capabilities were the most appealing aspect of getting the newest model.
The new MacBook allowed me to resume my work quickly, and by 7th April I had transferred all my files to the new device and continue working on my digital artefact.
REFERENCES:
Goldhaber, M.H. (1997) The Attention Economy and the Net. First Monday, [online] Available at: https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/519/440 [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
TikTok (2025) @camperyachties. [online] TikTok. Available at: https://www.tiktok.com/@camperyachties [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Instagram (2025) @camperyachties. [online] Instagram. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/camperyachties/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Facebook (2025) CamperYachties. [online] Facebook. Available at: https://www.facebook.com/camperyachties [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Meta (2025) Meta Business Suite. [online] Available at: https://business.facebook.com/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Discord (2025) Discord. [online] Available at: https://discord.com/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Mikaela's San Giorgio - Digital Portfolio 
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