Can We Have Your Attention?
Can We Have Your Attention? is a podcast all about the War for Attention. Join Claire Coady and James Wickham as they dive into how your attention is attracted, tracked, traded, and manipulated in the modern attention economy. New episodes every other week, wherever you get your podcasts.
Recent Episodes
July 8, 2026
Attention! The Revolution has Already Begun
Has the Age of Attention Scarcity given way to the Attention Revolution? Recent data from Ofcom shows that over the past 12 months, discontent with online life is growing – and people’s behaviours are changing too, with major consequences for the media, advertisers, and communications. As more people avoid the ad-funded internet, and public support for restrictions and bans increases, what’s stopping industry and government from changing?
Claire Coady and James Wickham discuss a year after Clai
Claire Coady and James Wickham discuss a year after Clai
June 22, 2026
How can the BBC win trust when nobody trusts anything? Legacy media, disinformation, and winning tactics with Rebecca Skippage
Trust in news is down, and news avoidance is up. Many people don’t know what to believe, or who to trust. How can legacy media convince audiences to trust them when they're under attack – but loathe to change? Rebecca Skippage, the former Global Disinformation Editor at BBC News, joins Claire and James this week to discuss misinformation, disinformation, legacy media, meeting people where they are, and how organisations like the BBC can rise to the challenge.Find out more about Rebecca Skippag
June 8, 2026
Tired of Britain, Tired of Life? Populism, Polarisation, and Discontented Britain with Steven Lacey
Is Britain broken, or is everyone just tired?Steven Lacey from cultural research company The Outsiders and the think tank Resilience & Reconstruction joins Claire and James to talk about their fascinating research into the forces of life driving populism. What is driving discontent? Why hasn’t politics been able to meet this challenge? And does the answer lie in reviving communities and the high street?The Outsiders: The cultural insight agency founded by Steven Lacey https://outsidersinsigh
May 25, 2026
Attention, Misinformation, and Polarisation: Tracking Election Misinformation with Tom Garnett, CEO of Refute
How is your attention being exploited by people who deliberately make misinformation? Claire Coady and James Wickham are joined by Tom Garnett, the CEO of disinformation monitoring company Refute, to talk about misinformation and election interference.For more on Refute and the work they do to combat misinformation and disinformation, visit their website: https://refute.com/Refute’s report on misinformation in the Romanian and Moldovan elections: https://tinyurl.com/3zwhehwwBBC News on the M
May 11, 2026
The Content Creator Economy: Content Creators, Influencers, and the Economics of a Social Media Business
Do social media content creators make money? If so… how? Claire Coady and James Wickham discuss how content creators build their business: how they get started, build their audience, build businesses – or just make money. Why do they do it? What does it take to keep going? How do some make money on political content? And why haven’t we called them ‘influencers’?Mentioned in this episode:Research from HMRC and NatCen on the social media content creators as businesses (from Nov 2025) https://t
April 27, 2026
The War on Business as Usual: The Pentagon, Brands, and the War for Attention
Claire Coady and James Wickham discuss the Department of Defence/Department of War rebrand and its fights with partners and suppliers. In September, Pete Hegseth suggested the U.S. military was being weakened by forces within - forces the Department would fight. How far will it go in that fight?If the US public doesn't want a war overseas, then is the war on business as usual - and are suppliers exposed?Plus, if political campaigning is harder in an overheated attention economy, and picking
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