The Effect of Short-Form Media on Attention Spans

For the past couple years, there’s been a massive popularity surge in short form media. You may be asking though, what is “short form media?” Well, short form media refers to small clips or posts uploaded that can consumed quickly and then moved on from. Popular apps/services that allow for this type of media include YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Snapchat Spotlights. On these apps, people often watch and consume all sorts of short videos and posts, while quickly scrolling through the content on their phones. It’s almost as if it has become second nature, given that these apps are dominating in entertainment, as well as news and communication. However, people are increasingly questioning how constantly exposing yourself to this type of media could be harmful, specifically with regards to your own attention span and ability to focus and learn.

Short form content is designed for speed and efficiency. When you first make an account on an app like TikTok, as you begin to scroll and consume content, the algorithm quickly learns what keeps you engaged, and uses that data to serve up the next video. It observes what type of content you stay paused for longer, and gives you more like it to keep you interested. This type of format that is quick and engaging eventually trains your brain to start expecting constant stimulation. Over time, this can start to have negative effects on your ability to stay focused on something for an extended period of time, which is your attention span. For example, you may start to find it unusually difficult to read a long article, or listen to someone for while if you’re heavily involved with apps like TikTok. A significant consequence of this can make itself apparent in school, and the ability to learn. There’s a good chance that if you tend to scroll a lot on social media apps, you’ll find it significantly harder to keep focusing on your teacher’s lecture during class, let alone taking notes. It’ll become much easier to get distracted, and not understand the lesson being taught.

Aside from a conceptual perspective, scientific research also supports these observations. Studies have shown that switching between tasks frequently can weaken the brain’s ability to stay focused on a single task. Also, studies do suggest that this tends to impact younger age groups more. This further proves that the extreme consumption of short-form content not only hurts students within school, but also in day to day life. However, that doesn’t mean short form media is a completely bad thing. It can often be informative and actually teach you something new and useful, like for example a quick tutorial on how to do something, whether it be something you’re trying to do in real life, or something you may be struggling with in a video game. Additionally, there are ways to combat against consuming too much short form media. Methods such as screen time regulation, or disabling notifications can help in minimizing your time scrolling online. You can also just simply separate yourself and your phone, and go do something else or simply relax to stop stimulating your brain and resist the temptation.

Overall, when it comes to managing your relationship with short form media, it’s all about just controlling yourself and your daily routine.