Online content is killing our most valuable commodity: Zerodha CFO

“Attention = time, time, the commodity that defines all other commodities”: wrote Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath on X.

In a new infographic, Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath has highlighted the true value of the scarce commodity, time.

He says there’s cut-throat competition among big technology companies to create large amounts of data content for consumers to buy their time that can be converted into profits.

He’s highlighting that attention has become a scarce commodity because of the constant bombardment of data online.

“Data is the new oil of the digital world”: the infographic said.

In today's time, there's content surplus and attention deficit thanks to 24x7 internet, apps and so on.

"We're living in an era of advertising and media distraction," Kamath adds.

Attention = time, time, the commodity that defines all other commodities. Crazy to think we control so little and others so much.

I'm as manipulated by all this as the next guy/girl. Let's take some control back, last Sunday of every month no devices? Let's experience the… pic.twitter.com/JKrdxdcd6l

— Nikhil Kamath (@nikhilkamathcio) May 28, 2024

The infographic shows that every minute, over 416 lakh messages are sent on WhatsApp, 43 years of content are watched, and 6,944 prompts are submitted. 

It also reveals that 1 out of every 3 Indians actively uses social media. Additionally, the infographic highlights a 25% decrease in average attention span in less than two decades and an average screen time of 6 hours and 45 minutes for Indian users, which is over 40% of their waking hours. It also shows that the average user spends just 20 seconds on a single webpage.

Watching Without Watching:

The infographic explains peripheral gaze, the concept of looking at a screen but not directly at an ad. 

It shows that this subconscious viewing has a significant impact and is almost as effective as direct gaze. 

Research shows that on average, people only look directly at ads for one-third of the time, with the majority being peripheral. 

The size of the ad on the screen correlates with its success rate.

Social Media Reaction:

Users on X have shown a mixed response to the Zerodha CFO Nikhil Kamath’s post.

One user agreed and wrote: “Content is free, attention is expensive.

When you focus on the good, the good gets better.

Continue to feed your focus and starve distractions.”

Another user disagreed and wrote: “I get your point, but I kinda disagree. We need to accept where the world is heading. Running away from the internet won't work in the long run. Sure, we can take a break from the internet for a day, but we're going back to it. It's inevitable.”

A third user doubted the claim and wrote: “Doesn't matter if you give up your devices 1 day a month or 10, your actions in that time period matters, otherwise it's still wasted time.”

While a fourth user commented in agreement: “Absolute agreement and commitment...!! 

This is what m doin 4 my betterment:  

No insta/Youtube shorts on my primary device 

All research on desktop (and not on Mobile google) 

Max 20 minutes of Reels & shorts on secondry devices per day (usin DW timers)  #ProductivityBoost”