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There have been consistent reporting for two decades that screens are leading to measurable reductions in attention span. Three decades of reports linking the i

There have been consistent reporting for two decades that screens are leading to measurable reductions in attention span. Three decades of reports linking the internet and digital culture with mental health issues. What evidence is missing?

crimsoneer 2y ago
I'd be particularly keen on evidence affecting primary outcomes - eg, are people genuinly more productive or healthier. Attention span is an interesting metric, but if it doesn't directly affect how much work you can do or the quality of it in a meaningful way, I am less fussed.
- forgetfreeman 2y ago
  Given reports on multitasking consistently show it degrades performance this kinda seems like a slam dunk?
kazinator 2y ago
People with an Internet- connected screen appear to have a short attention span because they have instant access to a multitude of things that they're interested in, competing for their attention with whatever you want them to be focusing on. That what you want them to be focusing on is no longer the path of least boredom like it was in the previous era; the path of least boredom goes through their mobile device. People's ability and willingness to concentrate on something that interested in has not changed one iota. That sort of biological change takes hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Observations of the behavior of people interacting with tech can easily support the wrong argument that people's attention spans have increased. Just look at how somebody can play the same game for 11 hours straight, right?
- forgetfreeman 2y ago
  > People with an Internet- connected screen appear to have a short attention span because they have instant access to a multitude of things that they're interested in, competing for their attention with whatever you want them to be focusing on. This is incorrect. There have been repeated studies that show a distinct decline in individuals ability to consume and process long-form text. Folks brains are literally remodeling towards ADHD-like behaviors.
  - kazinator 2y ago
    But that's more like a developmental situation in the individual having to do with their education. I would expect, say, individuals not going to school past grade two showing a declined ability to multiply 12 by 11. People's handling of long form text may be off from several decades ago, but it's still better than their illiterate ancestors 500 years ago.
    - forgetfreeman 2y ago
      It has literally nothing to do with education. It's the brain's own neuroplasticity responding to overstimulation: https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/30/what-excessive-screen-time-does-to-the-adult-brain/ https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/30/what-exc...
j45 2y ago
I suspect it's not screens alone, but whether one is creating with screens or consuming with them. Different parts of the brain.

crimsoneer 2y ago

I'd be particularly keen on evidence affecting primary outcomes - eg, are people genuinly more productive or healthier. Attention span is an interesting metric, but if it doesn't directly affect how much work you can do or the quality of it in a meaningful way, I am less fussed.

forgetfreeman 2y ago
Given reports on multitasking consistently show it degrades performance this kinda seems like a slam dunk?

kazinator 2y ago

People with an Internet- connected screen appear to have a short attention span because they have instant access to a multitude of things that they're interested in, competing for their attention with whatever you want them to be focusing on. That what you want them to be focusing on is no longer the path of least boredom like it was in the previous era; the path of least boredom goes through their mobile device. People's ability and willingness to concentrate on something that interested in has not changed one iota. That sort of biological change takes hundreds of thousands of years of evolution. Observations of the behavior of people interacting with tech can easily support the wrong argument that people's attention spans have increased. Just look at how somebody can play the same game for 11 hours straight, right?

forgetfreeman 2y ago
> People with an Internet- connected screen appear to have a short attention span because they have instant access to a multitude of things that they're interested in, competing for their attention with whatever you want them to be focusing on. This is incorrect. There have been repeated studies that show a distinct decline in individuals ability to consume and process long-form text. Folks brains are literally remodeling towards ADHD-like behaviors.
- kazinator 2y ago
  But that's more like a developmental situation in the individual having to do with their education. I would expect, say, individuals not going to school past grade two showing a declined ability to multiply 12 by 11. People's handling of long form text may be off from several decades ago, but it's still better than their illiterate ancestors 500 years ago.
  - forgetfreeman 2y ago
    It has literally nothing to do with education. It's the brain's own neuroplasticity responding to overstimulation: https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/30/what-excessive-screen-time-does-to-the-adult-brain/ https://longevity.stanford.edu/lifestyle/2024/05/30/what-exc...

j45 2y ago

I suspect it's not screens alone, but whether one is creating with screens or consuming with them. Different parts of the brain.