Do you think people's attention spans are going away because of short form media?

[Brem]

If you're on TikTok, Instagram, or another app that has short form media, do you think people's attention spans are getting worse because of it? I ask because I have a friend who is addicted to watching reels, and we noticed when we watch longer content with him, he tends to zone out, and go back to his phone. Do you think all of this short form content has made people less interested in longer format media? Do you think people's attention spans are affected by this?

 

[Nomad]

Short form media is to blame but this is not the only culprit for people having shorter attention spans. With the evolution and popularity of social media and people posting status, photos and videos of themselves, narcissism is on rise, people are only interested in themselves, they do not want to hear or watch other people.

 

[Teri W]

The thing is that we live in an "instant generation". People now value their time more than before and would always want things done faster, almost instantly. That culture has made people to have very short attention spans. Anything that is too long, they zone out.

 

[Hazel]

Honestly, I do think short-form media like TikTok and Reels have made it harder for many people to focus on longer content. When you’re used to 15–30 second bursts, sitting through a long article or even a movie feels tougher. At the same time, I think attention spans aren’t disappearing completely, they’re just shifting. People will still binge-watch shows or play games for hours if they’re engaged enough.