World Cup’s ‘green flags’ and memes say much about today’s attention economy

[SINGAPORE] You may or may not have watched the stunning 2-1 quarter-final between England and Norway on Jul 12, but there’s a good chance that you would have seen a social media post or two about Norwegian striker Erling Haaland’s potent kicks, or triumphant English fans singing The Beatles’ Hey Jude for Jude Bellingham’s extra-time goal.

As social media algorithms go, watch one World Cup reel and you’ll be shown dozens more.

This year’s World Cup offers interesting insights into the modern attention economy. Fifa estimates that about six billion people – nearly three-quarters of the world’s population – will engage with the matches via television, streaming platforms or social media.