Redesigning the Attention Economy: Emerging Solutions
Startups rethinking human-technology interactions, for good.
Read the first part of the series here.
How are new startups re-designing the Attention Economy?
“We want to build the intentionality layer of the internet.”
- Oliver Hill, co-founder and CTO of Clearspace
Current solutions can broadly be categorized into three streams:
Alternatives to current social media platforms: these are focused on connecting small groups of friends and people around the world, re-defining what social media means.
Digital minimalism: tools to moderate technology usage and screentime.
Single-purpose technology tools: emphasize a low-tech lifestyle, by using tools for a specific purpose, rather than having endless sources of entertainment and distraction.
This growing movement signifies the growing importance of “digital wellness” as individuals are re-evaluating their own technology usage, and its purpose in their lives.
The new “social media” apps: re-inventing online experiences
New social media companies are offering a simpler value proposition to challenge dominant players, or at what larger platforms have neglected in pursuit of more lucrative features.
Photo-sharing and documentation apps like Retro, Minutiae, Locket Labs allow users to share spontaneous moments with close friends, send postcards, and avoid filters
Decentralized networks, including Pixelfed focus on exploring and sharing photos without extra distracting features
Discovery and curation tools like Hyperplace, Mix, and Arca allow users to curate and collect ideas, images, and inspiration in a productive way
Nostalgic and community-centered social media including nospace, Amo, Kndrd, and Favs promote authentic connection rather than instant sharing and gratification. Lapse turns phone camera’s into a disposable camera, only allowing users to post photos once they are “developed”.
Challenges and considerations:
Reaching millions of daily active users: companies need to have enough users to fuel growth and monetization. But, individuals need to be incentivized to switch platforms especially if they have a large following on popular social media apps.
Retention and network effects: how will companies sustain virality, long-term growth, and user retention? Companies have tried maintain exclusivity and being “invite-only”, while others make users invite their friends. However, short-term popularity may not always spell success. BeReal, for example, has experienced a 61% decrease in usage, going from 15 million users to less than 6 million, and was recently acquired by mobile games publisher Voodoo.
New monetization models: companies need to create a sustainable revenue strategy that does not depend on harvesting user data. Retro, for example, allows users to create postcards from their photos, and is considering having users pay for this feature.
Nathan Sharp, co-founder and CEO of Retro, who previously launched the well-known “Instagram Stories”, emphasized the importance of being an “ethos-driven” company. According to him, algorithmically-driven content has reduced the usefulness of current platforms. Instead, he advocates for a systems design thinking approach, where companies’ stated vs. revealed values are in alignment, placing human choice and intention at the center of their product.
Source: Retro Journals
Digital minimalism: promoting healthier technology usage
Rather than changing the social media paradigm, these apps provide greater customization features to boost productivity, combat digital addiction, and help people complete important work.
Reducing screentime and digital addiction: Opal or onesec promote deep work and prevent task-switching, while BePresent and Clearspace provide gamification and social accountability, such as discounted fitness deals, and replacing social media usage with healthier habits. Clearspace, for example, uses movement to unlock social media, whereas Minimalist Phone’s UI only shows essential apps.
Bridging physical and digital: Other companies such as Brick and Unpluq have physical “keys” that the user must scan or tap to unblock certain apps, introducing more cognitive friction between users and addictive apps.
Challenges and considerations:
Reaching diverse users: a clear go-to-market is essential for differentiation, as there are a variety of user groups. Different levels of cognitive friction will resonate differently, as some users will find it easier to customize how they use apps, while others need to completely remove social media from their lives. Companies need to hone in on specific user types, rather than risk becoming a generic productivity tool.
Business models: apps focused on screentime management tend to follow a subscription model, with basic blocking and restriction features in the free version, and a premium tier with more flexibility. Adding significant value in the premium tier will be an important differentiator, as some users can still accomplish their goals with the free version. Other apps, such as Minimalist Phone, only offer a limited free trial, but still have experienced significant growth.
Big tech response: while Instagram, Apple, and TikTok have added subscription options, users may not see the added value from paying for an “intangible” service, giving startups an advantage. However, challenges include startups’ reliance on big tech app stores, as well-known apps have been removed with minimal notice or justification, including screentime apps.
The low-tech movement: building tools for their original purpose
“Your life is not your phone, it is the activities that make you happy, it is the things and people around you. You have to be intentional about how you use technology and choose the right tool for you.”
- Kaiwei Tang, co-founder and CEO of Light Phone
The low-tech movement includes startups mainly building their own devices as alternatives to dominant brands. The Light Phone is one of the most well-known in the space, having designed proprietary hardware that is simply meant to be a tool for communication, instead of an“8-inch computer”, according to co-founder Kaiwei Tang.
Startups such as Balance Phone, Minimal Phone, Mudita, and Techless, have also emerged to meet diverse user preferences. Other niche startups are creating single-use hardware, from immersive e-readers (Sol Reader) to distraction-free, smart typewriters (Astrohaus), but many individuals are also trading in the apps for older low-tech alternatives, going from Google Maps to a GPS or regular maps.
According to Albert Beltran Feliu, the co-founder of Balance Phone,
“If you give the person that is trying to quit smoking, an opportunity to quit for just a few hours a day, this is not the most efficient strategy.”
Therefore, Balance Phone decided to build their own device, in addition to an app.
Challenges and considerations:
User groups: the user groups that these devices are targeting are also key. Balance Phone, for example, is geared towards children who are getting their first phone (for example, the UK is considering a ban on smartphone sales for those under 16), and digital minimalists, who seek solution with the benefits of a smart phone and “dumb” phone.
Environmental and supply chain concerns: unforeseen costs in manufacturing physical devices, and the specialized components needed for customization can be a challenge, in addition to costs related to carrier certifications, repair, and customer support. Additionally, sustainability, transparency, and ethics in supply chain operations is becoming more important for users and regulators. Light Phone, for instance, uses recycled plastic and repairs phones locally. Martin Moravek, CEO of Minimalist Phone, also noted that electronic waste is an issue.
Community: low-tech alternatives might require some effort for users to adopt in the long-term, given the dominance of a smartphone-obsessed world. Users might have to find workarounds for certain tasks. Building a strong community around the product can provide a support system for new users, and valuable source of feedback, design improvements, and new ideas.
Today, society is at a tipping point.
On the one hand, technological progress continues to accelerate, but on the other hand, some of these developments are negatively impacting individual health and well-being, and have significant privacy, security, and geopolitical risks.
Startups proposing their own vision for how technology can be human-centered offer a promising alternative, going back to the basics of devices and apps as simple tools, rather than slot machines. Across these areas, community, product-led and user growth strategies will be essential. Some of these companies are already emphasizing group-based experiences, social accountability, and online forums for users to share their experiences and exchange tips. Ultimately, these digital minimalist startups are selling a new lifestyle, in which “time well spent” is the most meaningful metric.
The way forward & the role of human-centered design
Kaiwei Tang, cofounder and CEO of Light Phone, said that founders do not need to create a product for everyone, and that if they truly believe in their mission, there will always be others who think the same way. For example, Light Phone refrains from paid advertising or social media marketing since it does not align with their principles, and believes it builds more user trust. Ultimately, Kaiwei emphasized that product innovation is based on understanding human needs, otherwise “what’s the point?”
Strategies for capturing and monetizing attention are becoming more effective, but many people want to change their digital environments. For startups, changing the status quo requires re-aligning users’ values and technology usage to meet their goals. For users, there is a growing spectrum of options to choose from. Maybe, a more human-centered technological future is on the horizon.
Further Reading:
Appreciate the mention :) Great resource and summary!