Free Content, Paid Attention: The Attention Economy of the Gen Z Feed

In today’s media ecosystem, the scarcest resource isn’t information—it’s attention. We—Gen Z in Georgia—don’t “go online”, we live there.

Georgian Gen Z behaves like Gen Z everywhere—feed-first, video-native, creator-trusting, and DM-driven—because the same attention infrastructure (platform penetration + fast mobile) organizes their media choices. Local context shapes topics and tone, but the mechanics of discovery and trust are universal. 

As Herbert A. Simon (1971) observed, “a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” Nowhere is this clearer than in the media habits of Generation Z. Globally, Gen Z—born into a society saturated with smartphones, social platforms, and algorithmic feeds—demonstrates patterns of attention capture, fragmentation, and monetization that are remarkably consistent across countries. Whether in Georgia, the United States, or Europe, this generation consumes information primarily through mobile and social channels, often encountering news incidentally alongside entertainment. In Georgia specifically, Gen Z’s engagement reflects these global trends, illustrating how attention functions as a scarce resource in the digital economy.

According to Datareportal, with social media identities equal to 78.8% of the population and 3.0 million reachable on Facebook and 1.7 million on Instagram, platforms are the default destination for entertainment and news—not just a distribution channel. 96.2% of internet users use at least one social platform—so discovery for 18–24s starts in feeds, not on homepages. People 18–24 are ~7.9% of the population; they’re small but highly reachable given platform penetration and messaging reach.

From Broadcast Scarcity to Digital Abundance

For much of the late 20th century, Georgian media consumption mirrored global patterns of broadcast scarcity: television was the central medium, and audience attention could be reliably captured by scheduled programming. Even today, 71% of Georgians watch TV daily, but this attention is increasingly concentrated among older demographics. For Gen Z, the smartphone has supplanted the television as the primary screen. Georgians now spend nearly eight hours per day online, with 93% accessing the internet through mobile devices. Platforms such as YouTube (87% reach), Instagram, TikTok, and Telegram dominate the daily rhythms of cultural life.

This transition represents a structural shift in the attention economy: while television relied on predictable viewing habits, digital platforms thrive in a context of content abundance and fragmented attention, where algorithms continuously compete to keep users engaged.

In classical media economics, news was conceptualized as a public good: costly to produce but widely consumed once available. In Georgia today, however, Gen Z rarely seeks news deliberately. Instead, news is encountered incidentally—surfacing in TikTok feeds, Instagram stories, or Telegram group chats alongside memes, celebrity gossip, and entertainment.

This reflects what Davenport and Beck (2001) describe as the central condition of the attention economy: audiences allocate attention not rationally but emotionally, responding to immediacy, relatability, and social context. For Georgian youth, a news headline may gain traction only if it is embedded in formats designed to capture fleeting moments of focus—short videos, humorous commentary, or viral trends.

Monetising Attention: Platforms and Influencers

The economic logic behind these patterns is captured by two-sided market theory (Rochet & Tirole, 2003): media platforms create value by “getting both sides of the market on board.” In today’s information ecosystem, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube act as intermediaries—offering “free” content to users while charging advertisers for access to aggregated attention—so every scroll, tap, and share becomes a monetizable data point.

At the same time, influencers operate within what Michael Goldhaber (1997) termed the “economy of attention.” Their visibility itself becomes a currency, convertible into sponsorships, product placements, or political messaging. For Georgian Gen Z, trust might frequently be oriented toward these figures—not because they represent institutions, but because they embody authenticity and relatability, which are critical attractors of attention in a saturated media environment.

These approaches are rooted in psychological insights. TikTok’s design—short, gripping videos and an infinite scroll—leverages the brain’s reward-learning circuits (dopamine-driven) and rapid, variable feedback to reinforce repeated use.Each swipe offers the potential for a new, rewarding stimulus, creating a cycle of anticipation and gratification. Research (2025) indicates that platforms like TikTok can have a negative impact on attention spans. Scrolling activates the brain's mesolimbic pathway, a neural circuit involved in reward processing, potentially leading to changes in dopamine receptor density and function similar to patterns observed in substance use disorders. Studies (2023) have highlighted that excessive consumption of short-form video content can produce brain changes akin to those seen in alcohol or gambling addiction, and adolescents’ neural and behavioral responses are further reinforced by peer feedback, enhancing dopamine release and prolonging engagement. 

While the abundance of free digital media provides unprecedented access to information and entertainment, it also carries notable drawbacks. This dynamic is deeply connected to the economics of attention and two-sided market theory: human focus is the scarce resource that platforms compete for, monetizing each second through targeted advertising and engagement metrics. TikTok, as a two-sided platform, serves users seeking entertainment and social interaction on one side, while selling access to their attention to advertisers on the other.

Thus, while free and abundant media democratizes content access, it also exemplifies the costs of captured attention. Users’ engagement is commodified, cognitive resources can be drained, and the potential for compulsive usage is heightened. The dopamine-driven appeal of platforms like TikTok illustrates a tangible intersection of neuroscience, economics, and media studies within the modern digital ecosystem, highlighting both the opportunities and trade-offs of the attention economy.

The Costs of Captured Attention

The rise of the attention economy in Georgia has tangible costs for media consumption and public discourse. Although information is abundant, attention is scarce, leading Generation Z to focus selectively on content that is quick, visually engaging, and socially validated. News visibility is increasingly dictated by algorithmic amplification rather than editorial judgment, as platforms prioritize material likely to maximize engagement. In the polarized environment, authority and trust are redefined: influencers and micro-celebrities often gain credibility by capturing and sustaining attention, sometimes surpassing traditional news outlets. These dynamics produce significant negative externalities, as the relentless pursuit of engagement can fuel misinformation, polarization, and sensationalism—effects that are particularly acute within Georgia’s politically contested media space.

Gen Z Attention as Currency

For Generation Z in Georgia, the act of being “informed” no longer depends on scheduled broadcasts or deliberate news-seeking. Instead, it emerges from the flows of content competing for their attention in real time. Platforms monetize these flows by converting seconds of focus into advertising revenue, while influencers transform visibility into reputation and income.

In this sense, Georgian Gen Z illustrates the attention-economy paradox: amid limitless information, value lies less in producing content than in capturing, holding, and redirecting attention. Recognizing this is essential for journalists, policymakers, and educators seeking to engage a cohort for whom attention is both the currency they spend and the commodity others monetize—especially during periods of crisis and political instability.

About the Author: Giorgi Glonti is a media economist and analyst at Media Voice and co-founder of Media Voice—Europe (Estonia). His work focuses on the economics of young democracies and on rigorous political-economic analysis.