Social media use and digital consumption in university students: The economy of attention and communication oligopolies in the 21st century

Abstract

This article presents the concept of economy of attention as the center of development of the communication industry in the information society and describes the results of an empirical study that demonstrates the influence of this concept on university students’ daily lives. This research using the economy of attention framework aims to identify the time dedicated as well as the justifications given by Spanish Communication university students to their use of mobile devices and social media. The research uses three complementary methods. Firstly, it analyzes the evolution of the results of a survey carried out in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019 in which university students were asked about their use and time spent on social media. The survey is confirmed against a controlled monitoring of the time of use of applications on mobiles carried out with a group of students and the realization of a series of four qualitative focus groups. The results show that university students spend more time on mobile devices than they are aware, concentrated on two platforms that have become oligopolistic industries: Instagram and WhatsApp. Likewise, the study reveals a dichotomous relationship between the awareness of an addictive and unproductive use of time on mobile screens, and the need to be on these platforms. A discussion based on the economy of attention shows the effect of sophisticated strategies effectively introduced as a social control mechanism via the users’ unconscious actions.