Text 1: Media scholar Dr. Helen Long studies attention economics. "Platforms compete for user attention," Long writes. "Design features maximize engagement—infinite scroll, notifications, autoplay. Attention is the commodity."
Text 2: Philosopher Dr. James Park examines attention's value. "If attention is resource, its allocation is ethical question," Park argues. "Designing to capture attention without creating value exploits users. Not all engagement is good engagement."
What normative dimension does Park add to Long's descriptive analysis?
That platforms don't actually exist
That the ethics of attention capture depends on whether value is created
That engagement cannot be measured
That notifications are technically simple
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Long describes attention economics. Park adds ethical evaluation—captured attention without value creation is exploitative. Not all engagement is ethically equivalent.
- Evidence: Park: "Not all engagement is good engagement."
- Reasoning: Description of attention capture needs normative evaluation.
- Conclusion: Park adds value-creation criterion for ethical assessment.
Choice A is incorrect because Park discusses platform design. Choice C is incorrect because Long studies measurable engagement. Choice D is incorrect because technical complexity isn't Park's point.