Hi, John! What's on your mind today?
嗨,约翰!你今天在想什么?
I read a news story about the term "attention economy"--you know, the idea that attention is a limited resource and companies compete to get attention.
我读了一篇关于“注意力经济”的新闻报道——注意力是一种有限的资源,公司为了博取关注而竞争。
Yes! It's an important issue.
是的!这是一个重要的问题。
The term "attention economy" makes me think about how we use the noun "attention" in everyday speaking.
“注意力经济”这个词让我想到了我们在日常对话中是如何使用“注意力”这个名词的。
That's right! We use the noun "attention" with a large number of verbs.
没错!我们将名词“注意力”与大量动词连用。
But one of the most common is probably "pay," as in "pay attention to."
但最常见的一个动词可能是“pay”,比如“pay attention to(注意)”。
The verb "pay" is also used to talk about spending a limited resource, like money.
动词“pay”也用于谈论花费有限的资源,比如金钱。
So "pay attention to" suggests that you are spending a limited resource.
因此,“pay attention to”的意思是你正在花费有限的资源。
Except you aren't really spending money, you are spending brainpower.
只不过你不是在花钱,而是在用脑力。
"Pay attention to" does not have a positive or negative meaning.
“Pay attention to”没有积极和消极的含义。
It can be both, depending on the situation.
根据具体情况,两者都有可能。
So, you might hear a person say, "The students are paying attention to the teacher." or "I pay attention to the news."
因此,你可能会听到一个人说,“学生正在集中注意力听老师讲课。”或者“我在注意听新闻。”
Or "He pays attention to trends on social media."
或者“他关注社交媒体上的动态。”
Google's Ngram Viewer shows "pay attention to" becoming more common during the 1980s.
谷歌的Ngram Viewer显示,“pay attention to”在20世纪80年代变得更加常见。
That growth has continued up to the present or at least up to 2019, the latest year included in the data.
这种发展一直持续到现在,或者至少持续到2019年,也就是数据中包含的最新年份。
One way of interpreting this information is that it suggests an increasing concern about attention.
对这一信息的一种解释是,它表明人们越来越关注注意力。
That's all for today! Keep up the good work!
今天就到这里吧!继续努力!