Resumen: The attention of people is a scarce good, therefore to manage it properly has become a challenge considering the constant cognitive inputs that should be faced both in the physical realm and the digital environment. From the perspective of attention management, this paper examines, first, the peculiarities of social interaction when technologically mediated. Then we offer an analysis of the situations that challenge attention management when people are using mobile phones in public spaces either alone or in the presence of others. We conclude that attention management (and also the related emotional work), is one of the most interesting issues in the study of everyday uses of technology.