Optimization for Engagement

In the context of business and product design, optimizing 'x' for engagement means building 'x' in such a way that engagement is maximized. Why would you want to optimize a product or service for engagement? Well, if every interaction is an opportunity for you to profit, then you have a money incentive to optimize for engagement.

One problem is that optimization for engagement is infectious. Can you compete in an engagement-optimized market without optimizing your stuff for engagement too? This applies to music, tweets, products, buildings, blog posts, stories, and personalities etc. When everyone is shouting, you are invited to shout too. We went from 'everything whispers' to 'everything shouts'.

Consider the phrase, "Something so good that it's bad". A sense of excessive optimization in some regard.

The power of controversy to draw attention is such that it can be used as a means to attract engagement. Controversy is salient, a clash of flows and worldviews. We are turning Reality into a popularity contest.