Our shrinking attention spans is becoming a pandemic.
Covid, technology and social media have inevitably caused many to have a shrinking attention span. Unable to fully focus, many find it difficult to watch videos that are long, causing them to shift their attention elsewhere.
This epidemic continues to grow as technology and social media occupy space in our world today. However, although these factors negatively impact our attention spans, a common factor that is often overlooked is the one behind the screen.
Admittedly, the viral pandemic a few years ago has contributed to the shrinking span of many today.
“COVID led to many people experiencing cognitive overload, whereby our brains become short-circuited due to being inundated with information our brains are trying to process,” says Crystal Burwell, director of outpatient services for Newport Healthcare Atlanta.
Trying to navigate how to educate students was a difficult experience for teachers. By contrast, being educated was a lost cause for students. Over time, their attention spans got smaller. According to a data published by the Spanish National Statistics Institute, 40% of children aged 11 have a phone, showing the global impact of this issue. This number jumps up to 75% at 12 years old and then to 90% at age 14.
Today, it is scary how easily one pulls out their phone during a lecture or in places like church. A survey conducted by the Pew research center found that 31% of teens said they lost focus in class because they were checking their cell phones.
The apps on these phones are programmed to allow access to information quickly, efficiently and with minimal effort. This contributes to the short attention spans of many people today.
Social media similarly adds to this, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram, which are designed to make our brains adapt to only receiving small and short forms of media at once. As a society, we crave shorter versions of entertainment, one that can easily be consumed.
TikTok, for example, started off with videos that were fifteen seconds long. Over time, the app extended its usage, adding up to 10-60 minutes per video. Many users have found this daunting, feeling the need to play the videos in 2x speed or simply skip it. But who is to blame?
Today, we sit at dining tables, unable to make face-to-face communication because we’re itching for a few scrolls on social media, craving an addictive feeling.
Moreover, we have shifted our focus from being able to read long books or watch videos that are not easily consumed in under seven minutes. Unless we choose to take the initiative of fixing this problem, our shrinking attention spans will only get worse.
