SMU SOE Seminar (June 14, 2023): Drivers of Digital Attention: Evidence from a Social Media Experiment

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ABSTRACT I study demand for social media services by conducting an experiment where I monitor how participants spend time on digital services and shut off access to Instagram or YouTube on their mobile phones. I characterize how participants substitute their time during and after the restrictions, which motivates estimating a model of time usage with inertia. I apply the substitution patterns observed during the restriction period and implied by the model with and without inertia to a relevant market definition exercise to conclude that relevant markets may be larger than those considered by regulatory authorities for social media applications. Keywords: Social Media, Attention Markets, Field Experiment, Relevant Markets JEL Codes: L00; L40; L86 Click here to view the CV. Click here to view the paper.
		PRESENTER Guy Aridor Northwestern University
		RESEARCH FIELDS Industrial Organization Economics of Digitization
		DATE: 14 June 2023 (Wednesday)
		TIME: 4pm - 5.30pm
		VENUE: Meeting Room 5.1, Level 5 School of Economics Singapore Management University 90 Stamford Road Singapore 178903