Attention Sources

Traffic does not originate randomly.

It is produced by systems designed to surface, suggest, interrupt, and provoke. Search engines, social feeds, recommendation engines, notifications, and ads all function as sources of attention. Each has its own incentives, constraints, and failure modes.

Some sources are intentional:
A query is entered.
A link is sought.

Others are incidental:
A scroll pauses.
A headline intrudes.
A notification interrupts.

From the system’s perspective, the distinction matters less than the result: attention arrives.

Inputs are shaped long before they reach a funnel. Ranking algorithms decide visibility. Interfaces encourage certain behaviors and suppress others. Context is stripped away or replaced. By the time traffic is measured, it has already been processed.

Understanding laundering requires understanding where attention comes from — not as an abstract audience, but as a product of upstream decisions.

Before traffic is redirected, it is manufactured.