Why has attention become the new currency of the social media age? The same tool can inform and mislead, connect and manipulate, empower and distort. A social media influencer reflects on the changing digital landscape.

Everyone today says that data is the new-age gold, but as a journalist and a social media influencer, I feel “attention span” is the new currency everyone is looking for.

As a social media influencer who posts content on geopolitics, I noticed how global leaders have shifted their political messaging mediums. Earlier, they used press conferences, TV interviews, etc., but now they have mostly shifted to digital media. Almost all heads of government all over the globe are using Truth Social, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube as mediums for official communication. Whether it is the US President Donald Trump’s media bytes, New York Mayor Mamdani’s short reels, or Israeli President Netanyahu’s short clips on X, it would not be wrong to assume that these days governments do not merely communicate through social media; they are, for the most part, governing through social media as well.