SRI Seminar Series: Joshua August Skorburg, “Decisions, decisions, decisions: A value-based account of the attention economy” (in person) – Mar 19, 2025

The weekly SRI Seminar Series welcomes Joshua August (Gus) Skorburg, an associate professor of philosophy and academic co-director of the Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI) at the University of Guelph. Skorburg’s research explores applied ethics and moral psychology, with recent work focusing on the ethical implications of AI and its integration into society.

In this talk, Skorburg introduces a valuationist framework to analyze the attention economy, arguing that decision-making and attention allocation are shaped by representations of value rather than addiction or loss of control. This framework provides a more empirically grounded and nuanced understanding of the moral and psychological harms of the attention economy while addressing the common experience of being drawn toward digital distractions.

This seminar is co-hosted by the University of Toronto’s Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, and will be presented in-person with an online option at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Moderator: Karina Vold

Venue:

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Room 1065.
Entrance: 95 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3E6

Talk title: “Decisions, decisions, decisions: A value-based account of the attention economy”

Abstract:

This paper develops an empirically responsible account of the attention economy. Almost all existing philosophical accounts of the moral and psychological harms of the attention economy rely on vague metaphors and folk psychological theorizing about the nature of attention and control. Drawing on recent work from across the cognitive sciences, we argue that a valuationist approach provides a more empirically robust and conceptually rich account than prevailing models of the attention economy, which emphasize addiction, compulsion, and loss of control. The valuationist framework posits that decision-making, including attention allocation and self-control, is fundamentally driven by representations of value. We contend that the attention economy’s impact is best understood as shaping these value representations that influence decision-making. Contrary to folk psychological notions of irresistible urges or hijacked autonomy, we argue that users maintain the capacity for choice and control. Moreover, our account can still capture the common phenomenology of feeling “pulled” towards digital distractions. The first half of the paper unpacks the valuationist framework, with a special emphasis on valuationist accounts of attention and control. The second half of the paper applies this framework to better understand the moral and psychological harms associated with the attention economy.

About the speaker

Joshua August (Gus) Skorburg is an associate professor of philosophy, academic co-director of the Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical Artificial Intelligence (CARE-AI), and a faculty affiliate at the One Health Institute at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada. From 2018 to 2022, Skorburg was an adjunct professor in the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. He received his PhD in Philosophy in 2017 from the University of Oregon. His research spans topics in applied ethics and moral psychology.

About the SRI Seminar Series

The SRI Seminar Series brings together the Schwartz Reisman community and beyond for a robust exchange of ideas that advance scholarship at the intersection of technology and society. Seminars are led by a leading or emerging scholar and feature extensive discussion.

To register for all seminar events in the Winter 2025 season, please contact us directly at sri.research@utoronto.ca.

About the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

The Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society is a research institute at the University of Toronto that explores the ethical and societal implications of technology. Our mission is to deepen knowledge of technologies, societies, and humanity by integrating research across traditional boundaries to build human-centred solutions.

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