episode

06

Dirk von Gehlen (SZ Institut): Context over content, attention as currency & constructive news

narrative now by getpress

If every minute of your time were worth a euro, would you really invest it in doomscrolling and binge-watching?

In this narrative now episode, host Max speaks with Dirk von Gehlen, journalist, author ("Wesentlich weniger", "Macht Marke"), and head of the think tank at the SZ Institut of the Süddeutsche Zeitung in Munich. The two examine the attention economy from the perspective of professionals who plan communication: in newsrooms, companies, agencies, and organizations across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Instead of "more content," the focus is on the question: How do we manage the scarcest resource in the system—attention?

Dirk makes it very clear what this means for your everyday life as a communicator: why attention is more important than content, why media menus and scarcity help avoid saturation, and how AI dumps even more content onto an already overcrowded pile—but cannot provide genuine attention. At the same time, he shows how a brand becomes a compass in this environment: internally for teams, and externally for clients and the public—especially in the German-speaking world, where trust in media and institutions is so central.

Erlebe Episode N°

06

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In a nutshell

  • Attention over content fixation Dirk shifts the perspective: It is not content that is scarce, but focus. Anyone planning communication must first decide who they are giving their attention to and whose attention they truly need—everything else is just noise.
  • Context beats volume Media menus instead of content dumping: It is not those who publish the most who become more relevant, but those who curate wisely—with clear formats, reliable routines, and context that truly helps target audiences make sense of the world.
  • Scarcity as a value driver More output quickly leads to saturation in social feeds and newsletters. Dirk shows why conscious scarcity—clear series, limited slots, intentionally leaving things out—creates value and makes communication more predictable.
  • AI as an additional gatekeeper Machines are producing and filtering content, from personalized feeds to ChatGPT responses. The result: even more material, but not necessarily more clarity. It’s about how media and brands can remain visible, reliable, and quotable in this landscape.
  • Brand as a compass in times of change Drawing on his book "Macht Marke," Dirk explains why a brand today is less about a campaign logo and more about a leadership tool. It helps you decide which topics to focus on, how to handle crises, and how to remain consistent—even within the AI systems that evaluate you.
  • Constructive communication instead of constant alarm Amidst clickbait, the outrage economy, and debates over cancel culture, Dirk advocates for constructive journalism and solution-oriented communication as an alternative to perpetual crisis mode and false balance, especially with regard to democracy and trust in the DACH region.

this is for you

This episode is for you if you…

  1. lead communications, PR, or brand management and need a logical foundation to organize channels, formats, and priorities—beyond just "posting more."
  2. work in a newsroom, corporate newsroom, or for a media brand and want to understand how to build offerings that earn attention rather than burning through it.
  3. are a brand or marketing manager who wants to use "brand" not just as a campaign slogan, but as a guiding framework for communication, product, HR, and leadership.
  4. deal with AI, social feeds, and new gatekeepers and are wondering how your content will be found in the future—and what role reputation, consistency, and open web content play in that.
  5. personally want to break out of the endless scroll mode and are looking for better arguments—for your team and yourself—to engage more consciously with news, social media, and meetings.

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