Autonomy over attention is a fundamental right.
principle — attributed to Steve Gottlieb
Gottlieb's framing for Shindig came from a TED talk in which an anthropologist argued that autonomy over where you direct your attention is now a fundamental right. The line reframes the standard webinar. Webinars assume participants sit still and absorb whatever is broadcast. Permission marketing was supposed to meet audiences halfway. Instead, webinars trapped them and jammed them with messages. The implication for event design is operational. Platforms that grant participants control over their own attention produce engagement. Platforms that try to direct attention from the front of the room produce attendance without engagement. The choice is structural, not aesthetic.
For event platform designers, virtual event producers, and corporate communicators choosing tools. The principle is most useful as a diagnostic against platforms that maximize broadcast over participant agency.
autonomy, attention, webinars, participant-rights