“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”
This quote has never been more relevant than in 2025.
You wake up, grab your phone, and within minutes you’re scrolling through feeds, watching videos, and clicking links. By the time you go to bed, you’ve probably spent more time staring at screens than you did sleeping.
Your attention has become the world’s most valuable currency – and your perception has become the most used product. Every scroll, click, pause, and tap is monetized — by platforms, advertisers, and algorithms. But here’s the twist: users like you can now take some of that power back.
A new generation of creators isn’t just making Tik Toks or Instagram Reels to get famous. They have realized that their thoughts, preferences, and experiences are worth far more than likes and follows. They’re not just consumers; they’re co-creators of tomorrow’s products, services, and experiences. And you too can be a co-creator.
Let’s explore how.
How Much Time Are We Spending Online?
Before we dive into who’s making money off your midnight scrolling sessions, let’s get real about just how much time we’re all spending in the digital world. The numbers might surprise you — or maybe they’ll just confirm what you already suspected during your last phone screen time notification.
According to Statista (2025 update):
Gen Z (16–24) lead with 9.1 hrs/day.
Boomers (55+) average 4.3 hrs/day.
Gen Z leads with a staggering 9.1 hours daily — that’s more time than most people spend sleeping! Boomers, in contrast, average a modest 4.3 hours per day.
How Big Tech Profits from Your Attention
Now that we’ve established that we’re all basically living in screens, let’s talk about who’s getting rich from this digital gold rush.
Every second you stay on a platform three incredibly profitable things happen simultaneously:
- You generate data (which gets monetized)
Your behavioral data—what you like, when you pause, how long you watch, what makes you click—gets packaged and sold to advertisers within milliseconds. This isn’t just demographic information; it’s psychological profiling that reveals your deepest preferences, fears, and desires.
- You may click ads (which generate revenue)
Every sponsored post, pre-roll ad, or product placement you see represents revenue flowing to the platform. These aren’t random ads—they’re precision-targeted based on your harvested data.
- You help platforms build better AI models (which they sell or deploy)
Perhaps most valuable of all, your interactions train artificial intelligence systems that platforms then license or deploy for billions. Every click, scroll, and engagement pattern teaches algorithms how to be more effective at capturing human attention.
The numbers reveal the true scale of attention monetization:
- Facebook earned $150 billion from ad revenue in 2024—over 90% directly from user attention
- That’s roughly $500 per user annually, generated entirely from time and focus given away “for free”
- Google’s ad revenue exceeded $200 billion, with search and YouTube driving most growth
- TikTok generated $18.2 billion in just two years by perfecting attention capture
Combined, the top 5 platforms generated over $400 billion in 2024 from user attention alone. That’s more than the GDP of most countries, built entirely on the focus you and billions of others.
Consumer Behavior Insights from The Panel Station
While Big Tech monetizes attention, something powerful is quietly emerging: consumers are starting to realize their attention is valuable. Insights from The Panel Station’s global community of 6.8 million+ panelists show that people are becoming more intentional with their screen time.
🧩 Top Use Cases for Screen Time:
Co-Creation in Action: Real Examples
The rise of co-creation isn’t just theory — it’s already happening at scale. Brands are increasingly relying on direct consumer feedback to shape their products, services, and experiences.
Here are some real-world examples:
- McDonald’s redesigned their app based on feedback from 50,000+ consumers.
- Coca-Cola launched three new flavors in 2024, directly shaped by consumer taste preferences.
- Starbucks revamped their loyalty program after 25,000 customer experience surveys.
- Samsung added 15 user-suggested features to their Galaxy S25 series.
- Netflix improved its recommendation algorithm using insights from over 2 million viewer preference surveys.
- Instagram Reels editing tools were developed based on feedback from 100,000+ creators.
These are not isolated cases. Brands are listening — because consumer voices are driving what comes next.
Do you want to Co-Create? Here’s How You Can Start
Co-creation isn’t about becoming the next viral influencer or building an app from scratch.
It’s about realizing that your everyday experiences — your frustrations, your ideas, your “what if” moments — are incredibly valuable to the brands you interact with.
Your input carries weight. More than you think.
And the good news? There are platforms where you can actively contribute, co-create, and even earn — simply by sharing your opinions, participating in surveys, or shaping products that you use.
Join the Attention Revolution
In a world where attention is currency, you have the power to choose where you spend it.
Redirect your focus.
Be part of the attention revolution.
Be a Co-Creator.
