TikTok: The Industrialization of Human Attention

This article explores how TikTok's sophisticated algorithm transforms culture into a never-ending feedback loop of impulse and machine learning, effectively 'industrializing' human attention. Unlike traditional media's coherent narratives, TikTok uses micro-behaviors (like hover time) for instant learning, delivering highly personalized and irresistible content. This model is being emulated globally across media, education, and entertainment, resulting in increasingly fragmented attention spans and a loss of capacity for deep thought and exploration of the unknown. Ultimately, the article prompts reflection on whether we consciously participate in this attention 'trade'.