Here is a something that might get you thinking as you relax and enjoy your Easter. Will money ever be replaced as the currency of the economy? A writer, Michael H. Goldhaber, believes that attention is the next currency. The castigated ‘cyber whores’ will be the next rich folks in the world. What is going to matter in the next economy is how much notice you accumulate, not how much money you have in the bank. So we will be able to purchase milk with fame? It is complicated. We recommend that you read the full article, but before you do, here are some excerpts we thought we should share.

-The currency of the New Economy won't be money, but attention -- A radical theory of value.

- Attention is the hard currency of cyberspace. As the Internet becomes an increasingly strong presence in the overall economy, the flow of attention will not only anticipate the flow of money, but eventually replace it altogether.

And what is this attention they are referring to? An example is given

-Let's suppose you woke up one morning, well supplied with food and other material essentials, but invisible and inaudible, unable to get noticed in any way at all. At first, it could be quite amusing to spy and eavesdrop, to see what you're not supposed to. But no matter what you discovered, not being able to share your encounters with anyone would soon become torture - itself a pain you couldn't express to anyone. Living without feedback, even in the lap of luxury, would be for all but a few recluses barely living at all.

-The economy of attention - not information - is the natural economy of cyberspace.

- To thrive in the coming century, you will have to look beyond money in any form and build a stock of attention for yourself as best you can. This will not be an easy current to swim in. But don't be distracted. The most gorgeous castles of capitalism, the most colorful ceremonies of payment and receivables, the most elaborate rituals around money and investments are now at their height, just as the era of the money economy expires. For better or worse, the attention economy will prevail.

Read the full article here “Attention Shoppers”