On the Attention Span

An attention span crisis has hit the world. Although subtle and affecting different age groups and countries differently, one thing is clear. Our attention is getting worse. In a study first started in 2004, participants were measured for how long they would stay on one thing on their computer. For example, if they typed in a Word doc, the timer would count until the participant switched to something like their email, where it would then start counting again. In 2004, the average time was 2.5 minutes. In 2012, it was 75 seconds. Now, it is around 47 seconds. One could argue that there are confounding factors behind this decrease in time, but it coincides with a lack of ability to focus. We cannot concentrate on one thing for long or even on nothing (sit in silence). Instead, we switch between screens and activities to give ourselves the quick change we think we need, never letting silence overcome us to achieve mindfulness. We must always watch something or listen to something.

The media consumption habits of the 1960s were vastly different from today. Back then, toddlers were said to have watched an average of 54 hours of TV a week. While this may sound excessive, it’s a stark contrast to today’s media consumption, which is different for two main reasons.

The first is how fast internet content changes. Within two seconds, a person can have a completely new video with different audio, colors, visuals, etc. If they are bored? Just scroll to find something else they can judge within a few seconds. Contrast this to a show where the audience has no choice. In traditional television, there will be sections where the viewer will certainly be bored. It might be at the beginning of a scene, where a few seconds go by without anything happening, or in a conversation that isn’t all that entertaining, or even a whole episode. They could switch the channel, but the same problems may arise. The competitiveness of the internet has made creators usually make their videos as content-rich as possible. Overstimulation doesn’t apply to all long-form content creators, but it does apply to the most popular channels, such as MrBeast.

The second is that the television stayed at home. I’m sure if those kids of the 1960s had a portable TV in their pocket, they would use it whenever they were bored, at bus stops, in the car, or anytime they found their mind needing entertainment. They did not have a TV in their pocket, so they had two choices. First, do something like reading, art, writing, all things the mind has to concentrate on which require creativity and imagination. The second was they could use their imagination! Cure their boredom by simply thinking about things and, in doing so, learning to tolerate their boredom. Now, we have that TV in our pocket, but it is not just a TV. It is more attention-seeking.

As someone currently in my junior year of high school, I can see the effects of the phone. Teens play simple games like Snake or Tetris for entire class periods. I see kids checking their phones every 2 minutes, looking at a few TikToks or Insta reels, then paying attention to class again. Even within these social media platforms, the videos have had to adapt to attention spans by adding stimulating clips to the already short content (Here’s an example). Listening to music during class is a norm, and screen times of 7 hours daily are commonplace among my friends.

I don’t want to seem like I’m blaming my teens at all; in fact, I struggle significantly with social media. I even added preventer apps and made my phone colors only black and white, which only helps a little. I still have to go on social media because that’s where my friends are, and with no social media, I would get extreme FOMO. I wouldn’t be able to understand new jokes, both within friend groups and general trends. So then I’ll check Instagram to text a friend, see a funny video, and before I know it, I’ve spent 2 hours scrolling.

So how can this all be fixed? We must first acknowledge how social media functions. Every time you are about to see an ad, a social media company holds a bid between lots of bots representing different advertising companies. The winner of the bid is the company who displays their ad. This process makes you a product for the social media platform. It also makes it so that the longer you spend on the platform, the more ads you see, and the more revenue you generate for social media. Social media companies are then incentivized to create a platform that is as addicting as possible, making you want to go on it often and for an extended period. This is where the problem of social media comes from. The solution then seems simple: create a cyberspace that does not stand any need for profit, simply operating to provide a net benefit to society. While a straightforward solution to offer, this is practically an impossible task, and I barely know where to start. Still, this is the best solution if we want to create a positive cyberspace.