‘Need to design responsible platform for ethical practices in digital space’

CHENNAI: Vinod Surana, managing partner-CEO of Surana & Surana International Attorneys India (SSIA), spoke on the intricate link between attention scarcity and the overwhelming flow of information.

Speaking at the Fr Jerome D’Souza Memorial Endowment Lecture here on Tuesday, he highlighted how attention is increasingly being captured, monopolised, and capitalised, with technology magnifying both human intentions and efforts.

Surana cautioned against the ongoing race for domination in the digital space, warning of its potential for self-destruction. “The attention economy,” he urged, “should be used to enrich and elevate society, not merely to exploit its vulnerabilities.”

This year’s lecture, themed ‘The Rise of the Attention Economy and What It Means for All of Us,’ was delivered by Ananth Padmanabhan, Dean, VMLS. In his address, he delved deeper into the mechanisms of the attention economy, examining content-driven advertising, biases, and the shift from community-centric content to individualistic narratives.

Tracing the evolution from the Semantic Web 3.0 to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), he explored how technology has transitioned from being an emancipator in the 1980s to a tool for commodifying personal attention.

Padmanabhan emphasised the role of legal design in shaping the future of the attention economy, calling for policies that promote responsible AI development and counteract the phenomenon of a “race to the bottom” in content creation.

Discussing the legislative landscape, he cited Section 230 of the US Communications Decency Act, which provides platforms like YouTube protection under safe harbour clauses, unlike traditional media outlets such as newspapers. He argued for more responsible platform design to ensure ethical practices and accountability in the digital space.