The document summarizes key points from Tim Wu's book "The Attention Merchants" about how companies have historically competed for consumers' attention in order to convert it into revenue. It provides examples of early radio programs in the 1920s that attracted large audiences which advertisers could sponsor. It also discusses how attention grabbing propaganda and films were used in Nazi Germany, and how new technologies like video games, chat rooms, and early online services engaged users and competed for their time in the late 20th century.