Tim Hwang writes about technology and its effects on society. He is the author of Subprime Attention Crisis, a book examining the economics of online advertising. His work often explores the hidden systems that shape our digital lives.
Subprime Attention Crisis

Subprime Attention Crisis
Synopsis
From FSGO x Logic: a revealing examination of digital advertising and the internet's precarious foundation In Subprime Attention Crisis, Tim Hwang investigates the way big tech financializes attention. In the process, he shows us how digital advertising—the beating heart of the internet—is at risk of collapsing, and that its potential demise bears an uncanny resemblance to the housing crisis of 2008. From the unreliability of advertising numbers and the unregulated automation of advertising bidding wars, to the simple fact that online ads mostly fail to work, Hwang demonstrates that while consumers’ attention has never been more prized, the true value of that attention itself—much like subprime mortgages—is wildly misrepresented. And if online advertising goes belly-up, the internet—and its free services—will suddenly be accessible only to those who can afford it. Deeply researched, convincing, and alarming, Subprime Attention Crisis will change the way you look at the internet, and its precarious future. FSG Originals × Logic dissects the way technology functions in everyday lives. The titans of Silicon Valley, for all their utopian imaginings, never really had our best interests at heart: recent threats to democracy, truth, privacy, and safety, as a result of tech’s reckless pursuit of progress, have shown as much. We present an alternate story, one that delights in capturing technology in all its contradictions and innovation, across borders and socioeconomic divisions, from history through the future, beyond platitudes and PR hype, and past doom and gloom. Our collaboration features four brief but provocative forays into the tech industry’s many worlds, and aspires to incite fresh conversations about technology focused on nuanced and accessible explorations of the emerging tools that reorganize and redefine life today.
Vibe
Genres
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Tim HwangProtagonist
The author and investigator who examines digital advertising and its precarious foundation, drawing parallels to the 2008 housing crisis.
Subjects
Edition
Subprime Attention CrisisUnknown, 2020
176 pages
FSG OriginalsLanguage: EnglishISBN: 9780374538651You May Also Like
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Frequently asked questions
What is the main topic of Tim Hwang's Subprime Attention Crisis?
Tim Hwang's Subprime Attention Crisis examines the economic underpinnings of the internet, specifically focusing on the digital advertising market and its potential instability.
What kind of book is Subprime Attention Crisis?
Subprime Attention Crisis is a non-fiction book that offers a critical analysis of the digital economy and the mechanisms behind online attention.


















