20 ms·

That reference is from 1993... I think people's attention span has shortened since then...

• codetrotter 4y ago
  > I think people's attention span has shortened since then... Unlikely. Rather, what I think has happened is that as the internet keeps filling up with more and more trash, we have been forced into being harsher with our willingness to pay attention to any one specific thing. In other words, it’s not the attention span that has changed. It’s the signal to noise ratio that keeps getting worse and worse. And that’s why you need to demonstrate value to your audience quickly or otherwise they will move on to the next thing. But don’t blame the audience for that. Blame the producers of the content.
• jt2190 4y ago
  What you’re calling “attention span” is probably more accurately called “user expectations”, or “user patience” which, obviously, can easily change. On the other hand, there seems to be a measurably consistent maximum amount of time that one can tolerate a pause without also breaking out of flow. This might be cultural, but it seems to be consistent enough that it could be physiological.
• Tempest1981 4y ago
  Agreed, 140 char replies instead of paragraphs, and rapidly scrolling TikTok videos. We need that dopamine.
• kaba0 4y ago
  That’s a myth: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38896790.amp https://www.bbc.com/news/health-38896790.amp