Kojo

“It doesn’t matter if it’s good right now, it just needs to exist.”

“There is only one success—to be able to spend your life in your own way.”

— Christopher Morley

The apparent limitation of the ad-supported media business model is that there will never be enough traffic to satisfy the beast. But while subscription revenue is stickier and gives creators more runway and short-term security, eventually the flame that started any new project will be extinguished. A new muse will need to be found.

Prior work has linked curiosity to happiness and innovation—two phenomena that are highly desirable in many cultures and societies. Curiosity is correlated with flourishing and physical activity, and is anticorrelated with depression.22 Moreover, curious people are often innovative people who have the capacity to be world changers by imagining a

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Because attention is scarce, it is valuable. Every media organization — big or small, reputable or untrustworthy — is using every tactic at hand to engage us.

They need our attention to sell ads and subscriptions, to create value for their brands so we will become loyal consumers of their products.