ORCID
0009-0001-9904-0111
Faculty Advisor
Daniel Stephens
Keywords
Digital Attention Harm, Digital Attention Capitalism, Attention Safeguard Models, Cognitive Attentional Standards, Sociological Impact Assessment, Platform Accountability, Digital Sociology, Attention Economy, Delante Clark
Abstract
Digital attention capitalism generates value through the capture and monetization of human attention, yet it has historically lacked standardized mechanisms for measuring attention-related harm. This paper argues that the Attention Safeguard Models (A.S.M.), Cognitive Attentional Standards (C.A.S.), and Sociological Impact Assessment (S.I.A.) collectively challenge this system by introducing an integrated framework for classifying, measuring, and evaluating digital attention harm and its societal consequences. C.A.S. provides standardized measurement of digital attention harm, A.S.M. identifies and classifies patterns of attentional disruption and manipulation, and S.I.A. evaluates broader impacts on institutions, communities, civic engagement, education, social cohesion, and inequality. Together, these systems transform digital attention harm from an abstract concern into a measurable social phenomenon. By increasing transparency, reducing information asymmetries, and shifting evaluation from engagement metrics to human and societal outcomes, A.S.M., C.A.S., and S.I.A. challenge the foundations of digital attention capitalism and establish a new paradigm of accountability for digital technologies.
College
College of Graduate Studies
STARS Citation
Clark, Delante, "The End of Unmeasured Exploitation: How A.S.M., C.A.S., and S.I.A. Challenge Digital Attention Capitalism" (2026). Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works. 12.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/gradscholar/12
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