Over the holidays, I’ve had time to read, along with books I wanted to immerse myself in for pleasure, some other texts of professional interest that I had saved for a different kind of enjoyment. Among them is a very interesting study by McKinsey & Company(1) on the challenges the media industry faces in capturing and monetising attention. The study opens with a very interesting statement: «The media industry has long focused on the quantity of consumer attention rather than the quality. As audience distraction and fragmentation grow, understanding attention’s true value is critical to success». It goes on to emphasise quality over quantity, even from the perspective of the revenue volume generated by each type of content.
The contemporary attention economy is often described in terms of loss: shrinking attention spans, constant distraction, and the weakening of deep engagement. In this context, book reading is frequently perceived as a loser in this battle in a media ecosystem optimised for speed and immediacy. However, my reading of «The attention equation» is different: If attention is not merely a question of volume but of quality, then reading may possess structural advantages that are poorly captured by dominant metrics but highly relevant for future cultural and economic strategies.
I believe that the central idea of the report – that not all attention is equal – opens up an important space for rethinking the role of books. Reading typically requires sustained focus, cognitive effort, and intentional engagement. Unlike many digital media formats that thrive on multitasking or background consumption, book reading tends to resist distraction. This resistance is often framed as a weakness in a competitive attention marketplace. However, from the perspective of this approach, the «attention quality», it may be one of reading’s greatest strengths.
Reading as something comparable to live experiences
The report identifies books as one of the few media formats capable of generating levels of focus comparable to live experiences (for example, as live music or sports events). This finding is significant. Because focus, in the report’s model, is not simply a psychological variable but an economic one: higher focus correlates strongly with higher willingness to pay and deeper long-term engagement. Reading, by its very nature, requires the reader to allocate attention in a concentrated and sequential approach: Meaning unfolds over time and cannot be easily fragmented without loss.
Surprise! This element positions literacy in sharp contrast to digital media designed for rapid switching and low commitment. Yes, such media excel at capturing fleeting moments of attention but often struggle to convert that attention into durable value. Books, by contrast, operate on a different logic: they demand more from the reader upfront but offer a correspondingly richer cognitive and emotional payoff. In terms of the attention equation, reading reliably generates «valuable time spent» even when total consumption time is relatively limited.
Intentionality and the value of reading
Another aspect that I have found in McKinsey & Company’s report as a resource that can help me with my obsessive advocacy of reading is that it underlines intent as a key dimension of attention quality. Media consumed «for love», learning, or personal meaning generate more valuable attention and higher monetisation. Reading aligns closely with these motivations: books are chosen deliberately and rarely consumed passively. Readers are typically driven by curiosity, identity, or emotional engagement, which makes reading less dependent on incidental or ambient attention.
This intentionality makes reading comparatively strong in a crowded media environment. Choosing to read usually implies a conscious preference for depth over immediacy. This would confirm my hypothesis that the main challenge for reading is not to capture more time, but about communicating intelligently to reinforce the value of the type of attention it already attracts.
Finally, of all the leisure activities included in the report, reading books shows the greatest difference between the value of monetisation per hour predicted by the Commercial Quotient and the Attention equation (which is very close to the actual monetisation).
The resource of attention
This «attention equation» reframes attention as a resource that can be developed, not just extracted. Reading exemplifies this dynamic because this activity both benefits from and contributes to sustained attention, helping readers build concentration, patience, and interpretive skills. Unlike low-friction media optimized for immediacy, reading treats attention as an amazing human capacity to be strengthened as a strategic resource.
Supporting reading may strengthen the overall attention ecosystem, enabling deeper engagement with complex ideas and cultural works. Its value, therefore, extends beyond direct economic returns. As attention quality gains importance, reading can position itself as a distinctive generator of high-value attention. Education, lifelong learning, and cultural sectors offer strategic spaces where this kind of engagement is especially relevant, and where reading’s strengths can be most effectively leveraged.
(1) The ‘attention equation’. Winning the right battles for consumer attention. McInssy & Company.