Attention, Algorithms & Formats Series — Episode 2
In the last episode, I looked at why some ideas stick by reviewing Made to Stick. It gave us a powerful reminder: clear, emotionally resonant messages survive. But in 2026, there’s another layer to the story, one that didn’t exist when that book was written.
Today, attention itself is mediated by algorithms.
Before a human ever sees your digital message, an invisible system has already made a decision about it. Algorithms rank, filter, interpret, and prioritise digital content based on thousands of signals. In many cases, they determine whether your message is amplified, quietly buried, or never shown at all.
So if we want to communicate effectively digitally today, we need to understand not just how people think, but how platforms decide what people see.
So, let’s dive in!
FULL TRANSCRIPT (UNEDITED)
Attention is Now a Filtered Resource
For most of modern history, communication was relatively linear. If you published something in a newspaper or spoke at an event, the audience in front of you received it.
Today, that’s no longer the case.
Every social platform, search engine, and content feed uses algorithms to decide which pieces of information are most relevant to each individual user. Two people following the same accounts can see completely different things.
This creates what many researchers now call ‘the attention economy’; a system where visibility is scarce, and platforms compete to keep people engaged for as long as possible.
Your message is not simply competing with other messages. It’s competing with everything else someone could possibly see in that moment.
How Algorithms Filter Content
The truth is, no one really gets to see how big tech platforms use algorithms, and they change all the time. However, what we do know is that algorithms prioritise content based on signals of engagement and relevance. While the exact formulas vary between platforms, the core logic is very similar. Here’s a basic tour;
Content is tested with a small audience first. The platform then measures how people respond:
- Do they stop scrolling?
- Do they watch or read to the end?
- Do they like, comment, save, or share?
- Do they click through or stay engaged?
If the early signals are strong, the algorithm distributes the content to a wider audience. If not, it quietly fades away.
This means the first few seconds of attention matter enormously. A message that doesn’t capture interest quickly rarely gets another chance.
Why Some Messages Spread
Content spreads today for many of the same reasons ideas have always travelled: curiosity, emotion, novelty, and relevance.
But algorithms accelerate this effect.
Messages that trigger strong reactions, curiosity, surprise, empathy, humour generate engagement. Engagement signals value to the algorithm. The algorithm then shows the content to more people.
In other words, emotion and clarity fuel distribution.
This is why stories, unexpected insights, and strong hooks consistently outperform dense or purely informational content.
Instant Decisions: The 3-Second Test
One of the defining characteristics of the modern attention economy is speed.
People now make micro-decisions constantly:
Should I watch this? Read this? Scroll past it?
Most of these decisions happen within seconds.
Our brains are trained to scan quickly for signals of value: relevance, novelty, usefulness, or entertainment. If none of those signals appear quickly, we move on.
The result is a communication environment where clarity and immediacy are essential.
What “Relevance” Means in Personalised Feeds
Perhaps the biggest shift in the last decade is personalisation.
Algorithms are designed to predict what you and I will find interesting. They use behavioural data; what we watch, click, save, and interact with, to build a constantly evolving profile of preferences.
That means as communicators and content creators, relevance is no longer about appealing to a broad audience. Instead, it’s about creating content that resonates deeply with the right audience. Same, same but different.
And herein lies the lesson in this series: get back to basics – the more aligned your message is with what people already care about, the more likely it is to appear in their feed.
And once it appears, the quality of your message determines whether attention stays or disappears.
Five Things to Think About
If attention is the currency of modern communication, here are five questions worth asking when you craft your next message:
- Does my message capture attention immediately?
If it doesn’t hook people in the first few seconds, the algorithm and the audience will move on. - Is the idea clear and simple enough to understand instantly?
Complexity slows people down, and slow messages rarely spread. - Does this message trigger curiosity or emotion?
Engagement is the signal platforms use to determine what matters. - Who is this message truly relevant to?
Personalised feeds reward specificity more than generality. - If someone sees this content, will they feel compelled to engage or share it?
Distribution is increasingly driven by behaviour, not just reach.
Understanding the new attention economy doesn’t mean chasing algorithms. It means recognising the forces that shape visibility today.
Great communication still begins with a strong idea. But in 2026, that idea also needs to be designed for attention — clear, relevant, and compelling enough to survive both human judgement and algorithmic filtering.
And in the next episode, we’ll move from theory to practice: how to craft messages that pass the five-second test — and why long-form content is making an unexpected comeback.