Mario Godoy

Mario Godoy

Attention Economy

(2020)

for string quartet

I. Newsfeed

II. Elegy

III. Screens

IV. Reset

In today's age of never-ending digital content, human attention has become a scarce resource. There are so many things that ask for attention in every moment, but as humans, that attention is finite. This work, Attention Economy, borrows inspiration from this terminology and is a reflection on social consciousness in the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle. Our access to technology is incredible. We have the power to connect with people all over the world and shop for groceries without ever leaving the house. This access has drastically shifted how we consume media and interact with the world around us. For better or worse, we have become a society of data bingers. Swipe, double-tap, scroll, autoplay, read more, reply all. Repeat. It's the modern-day human experience.

Newsfeed, represents the deluge of information presented to us daily. It's the constantly updating, never-ending scroll that we download into our brains without even really thinking about it. The music is often a cacophony of voices competing for the listener's attention. You can hear thematic ideas echo, bounce around, and morph over time. Every so often, something new may emerge from the texture, but it is quickly lost among the sea of voices.

Elegy, was written as a tribute to those who have lost their lives due to violence, accidents, negligence, or natural disasters. It was imperative to me that this quartet about our digital worlds include a moment that honors and mourns the multitudes of people that have been lost.  Often, I feel like the only time we slow down, reflect, and come together is during times of tremendous sorrow and tragedy. We feel the ripples that emanate through our society with every loss, and in those moments, we grieve in unison. I have also chosen to have this movement continue without pause into the third movement, representing how quickly those of us who were not directly affected by the tragedy disengage and move right back into our daily routines.

Screens is a reflection of how we as a society, interact with technology and the world. For so many of us, screens have become a crucial fixture in our human identity. They are our best friends, our teachers, our baby sitters, our escape. They often seem to know more about us than we do about ourselves. (Hello, targeted ads, I see you.) This movement uses sounds that mimic notifications chimes and phones buzzing. It's a snapshot of the room full of people all staring down at their phones, or the family sitting at home binge watching different shows on different tablets. It's live streaming yourself playing video games, with Netflix on in the background while you're texting your friends during the loading screens. It's the magic and the chaos of screens.

Reset is meant to be an introspective moment that allows the listener time to reexamine their own relationship with technology and how it affects their daily lives. Technology is undeniably great, and it's not going anywhere. Still, I think we can all use the occasional reminder to take a break and ask ourselves, "what do I need more of in my life?" What daily intentions can you set to enrich your life, relationships, and give you a more vibrant,  meaningful community?