While I write a lot and tend to explore several topics from various angles, the overall thread is pretty clear in that I am someone who would like the world to move in a better direction than it is. I always find it interesting what can inspire an article for me and this one was triggered by four words from @acidyo.
Attention is being centralised.
Before we get into that though, some might remember the original purpose of the internet was a democratisation of information, where elite control over information would be broken as both access to it was vastly increased and, anyone could add to it as a creator. Before this, to be part of the public discourse, information first went through many, many filters - now everyone and anyone has a platform, whether what they say is valuable, correct, or harmful.
This has meant that while information is available to pretty much everyone and "like minds" are able to connect, misinformation and polarization is also an increasing problem. Misinformation was a problem earlier also, but the difference was that once corrected, it was corrected at the base level (for the most part) so that everyone was able to get the latest knowledge.
For a strangely polarizing example, once it was discovered that the earth is in fact round, years of persecution of those who had scientifically supported this stopped, and the books were updated to reflect the change. Now though, this same problem still plagues us, where like minds are able to collect together and start new beliefs that they claim and act on as truths. In a similar vein, once it become clear that there are indeed little animals living on our skin that can make us sick (bacteria), the information in the medical books was updated.
Yet, while the digital age driven by the internet was meant to democratise information and wrest it away from the elites, the very same mechanism has actually centralised it further, putting it even more firmly in the control of those same elites. You might not believe this to be the case, but the internet has changed markedly since its modern public release and ubiquitous take-up back in the 90s. Information might still be free in some respect, but the fact is that human nature takes the path of least resistance and this has led to the majority of people getting their information from a declining pool of sources. And those sources have increasingly granular insight and control to feed specific information to specific people, based on various algorithms.
Top Websites Globally (Feb/March 2026):
- Google.com: ~28% share
- YouTube.com: ~6-7% share
- Facebook.com: ~2-3% share
- Instagram.com: ~1-2% share
- ChatGPT.com: ~0.8-1.3% share
- Reddit.com: ~0.8% share
- Wikipedia.org: ~0.9% share
- X.com: ~1% share
- Pornhub.com: ~0.5-0.6% share (based on industry reports)
- WhatsApp.com: ~1% share
As you can see, currently Google controls over a third of all the information people access directly, and probably a lot more once other gateways are included. Meta through their apps come in at another 6-7%. This means that almost 50% of all internet traffic is going through those top ten websites, and I would expect due to the various APIs, that number would go up significantly with embeds.
Half our digital attention on 10 sites?
Now, that doesn't tell the full picture, because that is based on visits, and of course since Google is the dominant search engine by far, it gets a lot of visits. Move it to minutes spent, and the picture changes slightly, but only slightly.
Top Sites by Average Time Per Visit (Early 2026)
- WhatsApp.com: ~30 minutes 17 seconds
- YouTube.com: ~25 minutes 7 seconds
- Facebook.com: ~14 minutes 55 seconds
- Netflix.com: ~13 minutes 43 seconds
- Instagram.com: ~13 minutes 28 seconds
- Google.com: ~12 minutes 53 seconds
- Reddit.com: ~12 minutes 27 seconds
- X.com (Twitter): ~12 minutes
- Yandex.ru: ~8 minutes 51 seconds
- Wikipedia.org: ~3 minutes 19 seconds
And I would say that these numbers are skewed by the way the applications work, since I don't think the average visit for WhatsApp would be 30 minutes, nor the average for Netflix only 13 minutes. But, what is clear is that the majority of our attention is being spent on entertaining ourselves. Even google where people "research" (probably what to be entertained by) slips down the list.
Several years ago I wrote some articles about the real battle we are fighting in the world is between centralisation and decentralisation and unfortunately, I see that centralisation is currently winning again. The average person is becoming more reliant on fewer sources because it is more convenient to do so. Even people in crypto who talk about decentralisation, spend the majority of their time shilling on centralised platforms in the hope to pump prices so they can sell into centralised currencies.
We become what we pay attention to.
It is the, we are what we eat situation, because our attention is the only thing we really have control over. Where we direct it becomes our source of experience and we use it to shape our thoughts and hence, our behaviours. We are centralising because our attention is being funnelled with increasing efficiency into fewer sources that are influencing us to think and believe in ways that enrich the supplier, not the audience. Just like how Nike doesn't care how your health is, none of these platforms care what condition you are in mentally, emotionally, physically, or socially. Their only metric of success is their bottom line.
As a result, through incentivised business practices, the centralisation of our attention into increasingly large, but narrow sourced buckets, is detrimental to our health across the board, no matter who we are. Because while you might think you are immune to what is happening in the world, the unfortunate reality is that we are all impacted by the environment in which we live, and that is heavily influenced by the masses. And those masses are being influenced by the very elites that the internet was meant to help us get out from under.
Our attention has been hijacked.
Rather than spending our time on the things that matter, whether it be active, healthy participation in the community, or building a strong family and creating for improvement, we are spending our time being conditioned by where we spend our time. We surround ourselves with information and influences that run counter to what we want in life experience. We information smokers, giving ourselves informational cancer, because it is easier to do so, we are addicted, and everyone else is doing it.
Look behind the curtain.
It doesn't really matter what you believe your behaviours to be, because it is incredibly likely that beneath the surface of what you consider being discerning usage, you are being just as conditioned as others, even if the top-layer content looks different. The conditioning for profit is going to feed algorithms that will push people into more centralised groups, but also more polarised groups. This means that people will become increasingly attached through identity, and incensed by the opposing side.
For profit.
But of course, you think you are different, you are immune - while an algorithm pushes you another piece of content that you think you chose.
Taraz
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Luckily, the internet in Cuba is quite bad and slow, and although its influence is felt from time to time, the underdevelopment we live in has somewhat slowed down this process you mentioned. These days, for example, I’ve seen many children playing in the street with the same games I used to play. Of course, there was no electricity, and they probably didn’t have another alternative that evening. But even so, I felt a bit (just a bit) glad to live in such a backward country, because at least the level of addiction to virtual entertainment is much lower
Funny how lack of development can be a blessing sometimes :)
I like to see the kids playing "old school" games also. Perhaps countries should choose to be a bit more "backward" at times.
I think part of it just has to do with the fact that centralization is the game you have to play to be part of the team. There aren't any viable alternatives right now, so it's not really that I want to deal with centralized entities, I have to. At least when it comes to crypto or anything money related.
Yeah. This is one of the issues. But it isn't the case with media. People choose to use X, facebook, IG etc even when there are alternatives. As a result, the other options aren't created, because there aren't enough active participants.
It's gotta be hard for those more decentralized tools. Without the user base to support them any information or media is going to be sparse, incomplete, or just downright false. I'm not sure it would be any better really. Just less people eating it up.
Perhaps as more kids get pushed off central media, they will look elsewhere.
I am surprised that I didn't see Amazon on these lists... That site is where you spend time and money and sites like Google would be driving you there...
Yeah, I was surprised also. Also Temu.
Sure Amazon is a very interesting site, I love using the site it's so smooth and amazing
It is getting normal how easily access to information is being confused with actual autonomy. The technology which was supposed to expand our thinking, is now quietly narrowing it. The ugliest part is it is not the by-producy of force, but of comfort. And this is the more worrying part; there is no clear villain, just a system that works a little too well with our own leaniancies.
Though, I dont think it is as absolute as total control. There is still space for awareness, but it requires effort ehich most people would not (continuously) choose. Because, I think, convenience usually wins over clarity.
Plus, the line between what we want and what we are pushed to want might is blurry. And at that point, even resistance could start to feel like just another pattern within the system. The tech companies will label us as cult, who are against advancement :)
Yes. "insidious" might be the word for it.
It already is. Look at what happened during Covid where people were grouped heavily and punished for their thoughts, even when correct. It is even worse now, and more subtle.
hmmmmm, interesting stats. i personally spend way more time on youtube and only search things on google rarely.
but i hate that 'the algorithm' on tube seems to blast me with just silly, mainstream stuff rather that the niche stuff i actually search for..
I have no idea what people do on Youtube daily. I only use it when I need to repair something I don't know how to fix.
Doesn't it feed you what you watch the most of? ;D
somewhat.. for example, i am into star wars, so i watch vids on it, then tons of vids on star wars will be on my feed. (since star wars is pretty popular i guess)
but sometimes i search about self sufficiency and then no more vids like that will appear on my feed. i guess there's no real money to be made by showing more of that topic.?
Maybe self-sufficiency means that you won't need YouTube ;D
good point. 😉
I think that a small number of major platforms have a huge effect on how we all think together. The way we take in content shapes our beliefs and attitudes.
And the mess we see on the streets.
I am now getting deep searchs about Hive, before this I was just using it as Post to Earn platform but it's been a month my mind been changed and I am now getting more and more information about this Platform where people aren't just writing they are contributing to the Ecosystem.
Conclusion from Your Post;
Consistency is much more than just hitting the "publish" button; it is about the mindset and the quiet work we put in when no one is watching. It is a good lesson for all of us to focus on our own growth and keep correcting our mistakes instead of just chasing quick rewards. Success here isn't just about being active—it's about being disciplined and staying true to your journey.
It might sound strange, but I use WhatsApp to communicate with family and friends, YouTube for specific information, and Google to stay informed when I need to. But after family and work, my world is Hive. I'm trying to learn a lot about Hive, understand many things, and since joining almost three years ago, I haven't stopped learning and feel like there's still so much to discover. It's the only platform I feel completely connected to lately.
Your last three paragraphs are quite a thought process, which is what I've been seeing lately.
Additionally, I add... the ultimate reason why it's easier to be in the bubble and exist in its own happiness, a Truman Show.
That’s the real danger, the way algorithms turn curiosity into echo chambers. It’s not just about who controls the platform; it’s about how we’re forced to only see what keeps us clicking, even when it’s making us dumber. We used to fact-check. Now we just scroll.
we are spending our time being conditioned by where we spend our time.
You are right in saying so...
I use Whatsapp to stay in touch with my family is almost becoming normal for me
Our attention can be captured from so many real and digital channels that the brain is pretty fuzzy. But before acting on something, it is very important to take a step back, breath and allow us to think and decide what to believe and digest.