{"id":50043,"date":"2024-03-20T12:40:18","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T16:40:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hec.ca\/?p=50043"},"modified":"2024-03-20T12:40:19","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T16:40:19","slug":"short-attention-span-swipeable-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digital.hec.ca\/en\/blog\/short-attention-span-swipeable-world\/","title":{"rendered":"Short Attention Span in a Swipeable World: Byte-Sized Joys of Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Satisfying our short attention span is super important in today’s fast-moving digital world. With so much information bombarding us, people cannot seem to focus for long. We need content that can capture our interest quickly. Short-form video has emerged as a solution to this demand, revolutionising the way we consume and create content online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short-form videos burst onto the scene in 2013 with the debut of Vine, offering bite-sized entertainment that quickly captured the world’s attention. Vine’s success underscored a growing preference for concise, engaging content. Following Vine’s closure, TikTok emerged as a dominant force, satisfying the public’s appetite for short-form videos once more. Instagram and Snapchat soon followed suit with their “Reels” and “Spotlight” features respectively with Youtube joining the trend with “Shorts” in second half of 2020. These platforms we all know and love cater to the demand for quick, entertaining content, reflecting the evolving preferences of audiences with shrinking attention spans (some may even say we have shorter attention span than a goldfish).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This begs the question: why are we wired to enjoy short videos so much that it almost seems like goldfishes have better attention span than we do?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Nia William, a lecturer and researcher at Bangor University specialising in children and adolescent mental health, elucidated why TikTok had gained such widespread popularity.<\/a> She pointed out that “TikTok videos are short and sweet,” which is why our attention can easily shift from one to another. This mechanism contributes to addiction. When something brings us joy, it triggers the release of dopamine in our brains, driving us to seek more and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Dr. Williams highlighted the personalised algorithm on TikTok, which presents users with videos tailored to their interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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“Whatever you search for on TikTok, that algorithm will be kept. The more you search for things that you like, they will be aware of what you like and that’s what you will be fed” -Dr. Williams<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Additionally, in a BBC interview, Gemma Briggs, a psychology lecturer at The Open University, challenged the notion of an “average attention span,” emphasising its task-dependent natures. Steve Joordens, a psychology professor at UTSC, echoed similar sentiments, asserting that attention span remains consistent across generations.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Joordens noted a shift in newer generations raised in what he terms as “ultra-distractible” world. He emphasises the importance of social connection in discussions about social media and attention. His research highlights how actions like laughter, smiling, and singing with others can release oxytocin, known as the love or trust hormone, counteracting stress hormones like cortisol.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Can short-form videos be beneficial for video marketing?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are some key statistics<\/a> underscoring the significance of short-form video content:<\/p>\n\n\n\n