Current Events > Do you think TikTok and Youtube are ruining attention spans?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Do you notice it in yourself? In other people? In your younger relatives? I don't use TikTok myself, but I do think that on a variety of fronts our attention span and ability to focus is being damaged in a way not previously seen. Most long-form written content I encounter online is mostly padding to draw your eyes to more ads (like say those recipes with someone's life story before the actual recipe) or is AI generated nonsense, complete with several pop-ups asking you to subscribe, make an account, or turn off your ad-blocker. Videos aren't much better because Youtubers put in a ton of filler and sponsor reminders.

When my internet went out for a week, the first couple of days were rough, but after that I felt much more relaxed and better able to concentrate on tasks.

I've been surprised to see that people I know give iPads and smartphones to their small children. I grew up with a computer and video games, but 90s video games and internet were a lot different. Nowadays, it seems like everything is designed to be addictive, habit forming, or attention grabbing. Going out to eat is weird, because at least half the tables I see are full of phone zombies that don't even acknowledge the other people in their group.

Tldr

Short version plz breh

No it's I just don't have the patience for shit anymore

I think for some folks it is feeding into a low attention span issue, but I don't know that I can say they wouldn't have had problems otherwise. Short-form video content like YT or TT has never really been a draw for me, so I haven't seen it in myself yet.

Games do try to push this direction now a bit too, though I think their cycle aims for 20-25min cycles (match time, round time, etc) so maybe its a similar thing.

From your description, it seems that the problem is more that self-appointed 'content creators' do not have the skills to produce quality, engaging, long form content. Hence the need for 'padding'.

Good writing or visuals do not need to be padded, however long they are.

tldr;

Foppe posted...

tldr;

Snap, you owe me a coke breh

No

especially because youtube videos are all 20-30 minutes now, they are like the new TV shows

Damn_Underscore posted...

No

especially because youtube videos are all 20-30 minutes now, they are like the new TV shows

Whut up wid da four hour one's,

Ain't nobody got time for dat smh

shortform is definitely destroying attention spans

best friend's a closet tiktok addict, and i swear to god i can't introduce him to a show, movie, podcast, or documentary because he complains about it being too long; recommended him like a dozen books while we was staying at my place over a couple years and he didn't read a single one

this is a guy who used to be a skilled pianist and kicked my ass regularly at chess in his younger days

Ive always had a poor attention span

angeleyes94 posted...

Whut up wid da four hour one's,

Ain't nobody got time for dat smh

I love video essays like that. I think Avalanche Reviews has an almost 13 hour video.

No. I place the blame on social media as a whole.

Yeah probably. Especially when I see that some clips are like 30 seconds long and they have to have some goddamn Minecraft parkour video below it at the same time so people don't get bored and click off.

ai123 posted...

From your description, it seems that the problem is more that self-appointed 'content creators' do not have the skills to produce quality, engaging, long form content. Hence the need for 'padding'.

Good writing or visuals do not need to be padded, however long they are.

But they have to make it short to post on the platform. I think TikTok doesnt allow videos longer than 30 secs or 1 minute. Same with YT shorts.

darkmaian23 posted...

Do you notice it in yourself? In other people? In your younger relatives? I don't use TikTok myself, but I do think that on a variety of fronts our attention span and ability to focus is being damaged in a way not previously seen. Most long-form written content I encounter online is mostly padding to draw your eyes to more ads (like say those recipes with someone's life story before the actual recipe) or is AI generated nonsense, complete with several pop-ups asking you to subscribe, make an account, or turn off your ad-blocker. Videos aren't much better because Youtubers put in a ton of filler and sponsor reminders.

When my internet went out for a week, the first couple of days were rough, but after that I felt much more relaxed and better able to concentrate on tasks.

I've been surprised to see that people I know give iPads and smartphones to their small children. I grew up with a computer and video games, but 90s video games and internet were a lot different. Nowadays, it seems like everything is designed to be addictive, habit forming, or attention grabbing. Going out to eat is weird, because at least half the tables I see are full of phone zombies that don't even acknowledge the other people in their group.

i think the question is - is that really a bad thing? Wouldnt the world generally just move faster , with AI responding very fast, and we need humans to think and respond with agility to be able to just keep up with each other?

Tiktok and Youtube Shorts, probably

Normal youtube? I mean... I frequently watch / listen to videos that are 30 min, 1 hour, even 2 hours. At 2x speed, granted. But they're hardly for those of short attention span.

I think the larger issue is the loss of desire to read a book. Just don't seem to have the looooong term attention span / dedication anymore to read a book over a week or several weeks.

They said the same thing when radios became popular, they said it again when tv's became popular. Anything popular will ruin attention spans.

No. It is making them dumber, though.

Gojira123 posted...

i think the question is - is that really a bad thing? Wouldnt the world generally just move faster , with AI responding very fast, and we need humans to think and respond with agility to be able to just keep up with each other?

Are you seriously suggesting you think that short form video content will speed up the pace of the world and somehow help humans compete with AI?

darkmaian23 posted...

Are you seriously suggesting you think that short form video content will speed up the pace of the world and somehow help humans compete with AI?

Not necessarily, but I mean it just seems the direction of where the world is moving, and it doesnt seem like its a bad thing. Many young people now in companies have short attention spans but are geniuses and innovative, and keep us managers on our toes and are always bringing new trends and challenge status quo. I love it otherwise i grow old too fast haha.

Presentations and meetings now have to be kept short and interesting and things move really fast because the young generation drive it and the culture of fast just permeates into evrrything else including innovation which we really need.

It's the Internet in general

Getting answers and results within seconds does that to you

Multiple studies have confirmed it.

https://theweek.com/health-and-wellness/1025836/tiktok-brain-and-attention-spans

https://sites.psu.edu/aspsy/2018/10/21/social-media-attention-span/

They somehow shorten yet enhance our attention spans. Specifically, its tougher to view longer form videos, but theres an addictive quality to bite sized content, leading possibly to more screen time overall ..

Yes, short form content leads to brain rot