attention currency

A microeconomic type of an online incentive to encourage users to take action on a Web site, in exchange for the ability to purchase items. It also refers to the macroeconomic notion of big tech and social media fighting for our attention. 

Historical perspective: In January 2008, Gaia Online recorded the highest average visit time among websites within the social networking category. One driver of the time being spent on this site is "Gaia Gold Pieces" - virtual currency earned through interaction with the website such as posting in forums or playing games. Users can then use the pieces to purchase items for their characters as well as get rewards and recognition for usage.