DIGITAL FATIGUE AND CONSUMER DECISION MAKING IN THE ATTENTION ECONOMY: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE

ABSTRACT: In an era where digital connectivity defines social, professional, and commercial life, the competition for consumer attention has intensified to unprecedented levels. This phenomenon, often described as the attention economy, has produced both opportunities and challenges for marketers and consumers alike. One emerging challenge is digital fatigue, a psychological and cognitive exhaustion resulting from excessive exposure to digital stimuli and continuous engagement with information technologies. Despite increasing scholarly interest in digital well-being and attention management, limited empirical research has examined how digital fatigue influences consumer decision-making processes within global digital ecosystems. This study investigates the relationship between digital fatigue and consumer decision-making in the attention economy, employing a mixed-methods approach that combines quantitative survey data from 1,240 global online consumers and qualitative insights from 24 in-depth interviews across North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. The study draws on Cognitive Load Theory, Bounded Rationality Theory, and Attention Economy Theory to explain how cognitive saturation affects consumer engagement, trust, and choice quality. Quantitative results (analyzed using SPSS and Smart PLS) reveal that digital fatigue significantly impairs consumers’ ability to process marketing information, reduces satisfaction with decision outcomes, and increases impulsive or avoidance-based purchase tendencies. Qualitative findings further show that consumers actively employ coping mechanisms such as digital detoxing, selective engagement, and preference simplification to navigate attention overload. The study contributes to theory by integrating psychological and marketing perspectives on attention management, and to practice by offering actionable strategies for designing sustainable and human-centric digital marketing systems. KEYWORDS: Digital Fatigue, Attention Economy, Consumer Decision-Making, Cognitive Load, Online Behaviour, Mixed Methods, Global Consumers.