Charity and the Challenge of Getting Seen in the Attention Economy

These days, the term "Attention Economy" gets thrown around quite often.

Here in the USA — and I am sure elsewhere, too — we watch the slow but seemingly inevitable decay of long term institutions like "The Shopping Mall" and "Main Street" in smaller give way to a new landscape.

Sunrise brings new light

Even though Social Media itself is only 12-15 years old, as a concept, it has taken over the world.

If you are the purveyor of pretty much anything these days, from coffee, to massage therapy, to being a charitable organization like the White Light Express, the days where you simple opened your doors and people happened upon you are long gone.

Some might argue that life is simpler this way, because you can use Google to find precisely what you're looking for and not have to waste time browsing, but there's a distinct tradeoff: The electronic age is also one in which there are far fewer "Barriers to Entry" in almost every field, as a result of which thare may now be tens of thousands vying for the same attention as previously shared by hundreds.

In the Charity field, we deal with this all the time.

Thanks to crowdfunding through KickStarter, GoFundMe and a host of other venues, pretty any individual can set up shop and ask for support for anything from medical expenses, to car repair, to (unfortunately) simply scamming gullible people out of some dollars to buy drugs.

Distant shores...

Whether this is good, bad or indifferent is not ours to judge.

What we DO end up looking at, however, is how to solve the issue of "Being Seen" — and heard — in this ever-larger ocean of voices.

Even in a microcosm like Steemit, how do you get anyone to "see" your post long enough to send an upvote or two, your way? What makes you stand out? What is your unique point of "differentiation" that makes people give their brief attention to you, rather than someone else? Is is value? Is it money? Is it purely merit? Is it worthiness?

Good questions, all... and certainly questions to ask yourself, as we all play the "Attention Game!"

Bright Blessings to all!

You are not alone!
(Graphic is our own)

The White Light Express Mission Statement:

Since October 2001, the mission of the White Light Express has been to offer healing and transformation through focused positive intention, meditation and prayer. Right Thought is the first step toward Right Action and consciousness. We believe that “holding the vibration” is a profound task and our divine destiny.

We appreciate you following us and upvoting if you feel moved to do so — we also really appreciate comments and feedback! If you enjoyed this post and think others might enjoy reading it, please give it a re-steem! We love you already, because across all the myriad beliefs we hold, Love IS the answer!

In addition to our blog here on Steemit, you can also find us on the White Light Express web site, on our verified Facebook page and on our twitter feed.