Attention Media ≠ Social Networks
Attention Media ≠ Social Networks By Susam Pal on 20 Jan 2026 When web-based social networks started flourishing nearly two decades ago, they were genuinely social networks. You would sign up for a popular service, follow people you knew or liked and read updates from them. When you posted something, your followers would receive your updates as well. Notifications were genuine. The little icons in the top bar would light up because someone had sent you a direct message or engaged with something you had posted. There was also, at the beginning of this millennium, a general sense of hope and optimism around technology, computers and the Internet. Social networking platforms were one of the services that were part of what was called Web 2.0, a term used for websites built around user…
