attention-bankruptcy

A five-panel comic dramatizes a conversation using the metaphor of financial bankruptcy. A woman with reddish-brown hair recounts a story about her boss; a man with dark hair winces and says "Oh god, I'm so sorry." The woman admits she "thought she had enough attention to last through this conversation, but it's been louder and more boring than anticipated." The man formally announces that, being "no longer able to pay attention," he must "restructure this conversation" to pay smaller amounts of attention over a longer period, declaring he has to "file for attention bankruptcy." The woman flatly asks, "So you're saying you're going to look at your phone while we talk?" The man frets, "Ugh, I hope this doesn't tank my friendship rating" — likening the social cost to a credit score. In the votey aftercomic, the man, now looking down at a device in his hands, says, "Hold on. It's loading slowly."