John Stankey, the current CEO of AT&T (as of May 2022), was unusually clear about his goals as he addressed his new employees at the just-acquired HBO. Stankey said, “We need hours a day,” referring to the time viewers spend watching HBO programs. He continued:

It’s not hours a week, and it’s not hours a month. We need hours a day. You are competing with devices that sit in people’s hands that capture their attention every 15 seconds. I want more hours of engagement. Why are more hours of engagement important? Because you get more data and information about a customer that then allows you to do things like monetize through alternate models of advertising as well as subscriptions.

There’s a reason why social media platforms, streaming services, etc. are called “attention merchants.” They are working hard to capture our attention. Some people also call it “adhesiveness.” The longer they can get us to stick around, the more money they make.