In his speech before the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, His Majesty King Abdullah II raised an idea that goes beyond daily politics when he said: "Our attention has become a rare resource," and linked it to a reality we all live: a world where knowledge, technology, and crises are accelerating, while our ability to give issues the time and focus they need is declining. His Majesty did not present attention as merely an individual matter, but described it as a cognitive and geopolitical resource, because what we choose to pay attention to largely determines what remains present in public awareness and international decision-making.
The importance of this idea lies in the fact that it takes us from the question of "How much do we know?" to a deeper question: "What are we paying attention to?" In an era where information is no longer scarce but available around the clock, the problem is no longer about access to information but about the ability to distinguish between what is important and what is transient, and between what deserves follow-up and what is designed to catch our eyes for moments and then move us to another topic.
The figure cited by His Majesty in his speech is worth stopping at. He referred to a study that found that the average attention span on a screen had decreased from two and a half minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds. These figures are due to research by information scientist Gloria Mark and her colleagues, who followed the behavior of screen users over years. Of course, this does not mean that humans are no longer able to concentrate, but it reveals a digital environment where rapid switching between information and tasks has become part of its nature.
Here begins the real issue. When news, advertisements, digital platforms, visual content, and constant alerts compete for human attention, attention becomes a resource with economic, social, and cultural value. Media institutions need it to reach the public, companies need it to build markets, educational institutions need it to deliver knowledge, and governments need it to convince citizens of the importance of public policies, while environmental, health, and development issues need constant attention so that they do not disappear behind a new crisis or a more exciting event.
From this perspective, artificial intelligence becomes part of the question rather than the sole answer. Intelligent systems can analyze vast amounts of information, personalize content, and predict interests, but at the same time, they place a greater responsibility on us: how do we use technology to direct attention towards reliable knowledge, priority issues, and opportunities that serve humanity, instead of merely chasing what garners the most views?
The same applies to tourism. The competition between destinations is no longer just about attracting tourists, but about attracting their attention among thousands of options, and then turning that attention into a valuable experience. Data and artificial intelligence can help identify less crowded destinations and encourage travel outside peak seasons, benefiting the tourist, the local economy, and the sustainability of sites at the same time.
This places a shared responsibility on institutions and individuals alike. The institution that produces knowledge is required to make it understandable and accessible, the institution that possesses technology is required to use it responsibly, schools and universities are required to build critical thinking skills, and the media is required to distinguish between what attracts attention and what truly deserves it. As for the individual, having the ability to choose what deserves their time and focus may become one of the most important life skills in this era.
However, the idea goes beyond technology, economics, and tourism to a broader question related to the management of national and global priorities. As His Majesty pointed out, major challenges do not appear suddenly; economic inequality, food insecurity, climate change, and conflicts all carry indicators and warnings that precede crises. The problem is not always the absence of knowledge, but our ability to keep our attention focused on them long enough to turn knowledge into action.
Therefore, perhaps the most important question we should ask ourselves after His Majesty's speech is not just: What are we doing? But also: What are we choosing to pay attention to? In a world that competes for our minds and time, good attention management may become a new form of responsibility. What we give our attention to today may determine, more than we expect, the shape of the future we will live tomorrow. The future is not only made by the speed of our response to events, but also by our ability to choose the priorities that deserve to last long.
