[ExI] Attention Spans Decreasing?

[Kelly Anderson]

Dan and I were chatting off list, and I thought it would be good to get a
wider viewpoint on a topic that came up. This is a synthesis of where we
are.

Every few years someone comes up with a new excuse for why technology or
the newest fad is destroying humanity. It should come as no surprise
that MTV, Twitter, and now vine video have all been blamed in turn for
decreasing our attention spans.

But have attention spans actually decreased? I mean I've only been
distracted three times writing this email already... LOL...

Ok, five times, but seriously, there are some studies that show changes,
such as this one:

http://www.statisticbrain.com/attention-span-statistics/

Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National
Library of Medicine, The Associated Press
Research Date: 1.1.2014
Attention span is the amount of concentrated time on a task without
becoming distracted. Most educators and psychologists agree that the
ability to focus attention on a task is crucial for the achievement of
one’s goals. It’s no surprise attention spans have been decreasing over the
past decade with the increase in external stimulation.

Their study shows the following "average" attention span for some
"normalized" task.
2000 - 12 seconds average
2013 - 8 seconds average

Now, if that is real, it's a real issue. Only really deep thinking can
solve our biggest problems. If people can't focus on one thing for more
than a few seconds, then what hope do we have of people solving the
problems of the world?

So what do you think? Do you think your attention span has decreased over
time? Do you think the attention spans of your associates and family
members has gone down?

And mostly, does it matter? Is this another thing like doing math in your
brain that doesn't matter any more? Or is there some advantage from having
a shorter attention span? Or is it just part of some vast conspiracy to
prepare us to be harvested for our organs?

-Kelly
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