Measuring Substitution Patterns in the Attention Economy: An Experimental Approach

Guy Aridor

RAND Journal of Economics, 2025, vol. 56, issue 3, 302-324

Abstract: 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.

Date: 2025
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https://doi.org/10.1111/1756-2171.70001

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