Measuring Substitution Patterns in the Attention Economy: An Experimental Approach.

Substitution patterns are a crucial input to antitrust analysis, but measuring them for free digital products has proved difficult due to the lack of price variation. I measure substitution patterns by installing software on experimental participants' Android phones that restricts access to Instagra...

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Publicado en:RAND Journal of Economics (Wiley-Blackwell) Vol. 56; no. 3; pp. 302 - 325
Autor principal: Aridor, Guy
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Wiley-Blackwell Fall2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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        atl: Measuring Substitution Patterns in the Attention Economy: An Experimental Approach.
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        au: Aridor, Guy
        affil: Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
      su:
        Android (Operating system)
        Digital media
        Consumer preferences
        Time management
        Empirical research
        Consumer behavior
        Antitrust law
      sug:
        subj:
          Digital media
          Consumer preferences
          Time management
          Empirical research
          Consumer behavior
          Internet Publishing and Broadcasting and Web Search Portals
          Antitrust law
          Android (Operating system)
      keyword:
        attention markets
        field experiment
        social media
        substitution patterns
        attention markets
        field experiment
        social media
        substitution patterns
      ab: Substitution patterns are a crucial input to antitrust analysis, but measuring them for free digital products has proved difficult due to the lack of price variation. I measure substitution patterns by installing software on experimental participants' Android phones that restricts access to Instagram or YouTube—generating variation in choice sets—and monitoring how participants reallocate their time. I find that participants substitute to multiple product categories in both restrictions but also substantially for nondigital activities. These results imply that using product characteristics as a proxy for relevant markets may incorrectly specify the relevant set of substitutes in these contexts.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
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