[ExI] shortening attention spans

[spike]

A few days ago, someone posted archives from about ten years ago.  I read
through a few of them to remind myself what we were talking about in those
days.  Did anyone else here do that?  That was interesting, but I noticed
something that jumped out at me.  Comparing the ExI-list to ten years ago,
it is remarkable how long the typical posts were.  Now we are so
hit-and-run.  Then we had a longer attention span.

 

I was reminded of this when I read an offhanded comment in a movie review,
an animated feature called "Mars Needs Moms."  A positive feature of the
movie according to this reviewer is that it is short: 

 

 

.and with its splendid use of computer-generated motion-capture animation
and 3-D effects, the movie is also visually magnificent -- modestly so.
Plus, it's half the length of "Avatar."

 

 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/11/review.mars.needs.moms/index.ht
ml?hpt=Sbin

 

 

So it isn't only me.  We want our media-streams to say it, make it short and
to the point, and on to the next thing.  Apparently Avatar could be improved
by breaking it into two segments, charging for tickets twice, each half the
length?

 

I have seen this phenomenon in so many places, including magazines.  I have
26 year old bike magazines reviewing my bike when it was new.  I was
astounded at how long it went on and on, for several pages.  Today, even
brainy magazines such as Scientific American and Astronomy have short
crackly articles.

 

spike

 

 

 

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