Just Write Communications
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • News
  • Clients
  • Testimonials
  • Writing Tips
  • Weekly Chuckle
  • Meals We Steal
  • Bad Golf

The Human Attention Span

10/22/2017

3 Comments

 
Picture
​How strong/long is the human attention span? I sure don’t know. But it seems to grow shorter by the year.
 
The first time I began to notice it was when USA TODAY came on the market. Their model was to create a national newspaper with shorter stories. They added more charts and graphs. They gave readers a state-by-state one issue synopsis. Most stories followed their model of less is better.

Shift to today with the explosion of media channels, including the ability to send snippets out of context. Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Vine, Vimeo and many other many other vehicles play to our dwindling human attention span. “PAY ATTENTION TO ME!” Delete. “READ THIS!” Delete. “CHECK OUT THIS PICTURE!” Delete.

We scan and delete, scan and delete, rarely taking time to read, assimilate and think. We lose personal judgment when that happens and become easily to manipulate. Individuals, companies and organizations have figured this out, playing to our base instincts.
 
Television stories average 8 seconds in length. THAT’S 8 SECONDS, FOLKS! Do you think you’re informed in that period? Do you have time to evaluate data that quickly? Can you form an intelligent opinion in a few seconds? Of course not.
 
If you read a Tweet, you’re probably done in less than 8 seconds. Again, you’re not informed when you glance at 140 characters while looking at a photo of someone making an absurd face.
 
Sadly, the written word is slowly disappearing. I have adapted to this. When this column started almost 20 years ago (WHOA!), I wrote it to the average newspaper length for a column –750 words. I doggedly stuck with this for 15 years, even when it became clear that fewer and fewer people sat down to read about a subject rather than listening to two jabbering heads talk about something on TV instead.
 
The 750 word limit dropped down to about 600 words around 5 years ago, as I gave into reality. “People won’t stay with the column until the end, so I better shorten it.” No one noticed. No one commented. I still got positive feedback from the same readers.
 
You can tell when you lose readers based on the types of comments you receive on what you wrote and the frequency of people weighing in. It became clear in the last year that even 600 words was probably too many to expect people to read on a weekly basis. I felt I was drawing messages out, playing around with words too much, and should probably cut the column even shorter. So I did.
 
For those faithful readers, you’re now typically perusing 550 words per week. The messages still come through. Hopefully, funny and insightful stories still grab you during the ebb and flow of what I type. If we lose that, then no one will pay attention.
 
Is shorter better? I’m not sure. But I write to share, get people thinking, laughing and digging deeper into why the world is the way it is, and what we can do to positively impact it for our children and future generations.
 
To be successful, I’ve had to adapt in many ways, like we all must do in our jobs and personal lives. Hopefully, shorter makes sense and you still muse and laugh reading this column. Damn it, just went 557.

3 Comments
seth duhnke
10/23/2017 04:19:18 pm

I believe you, my mind is just not what was just a few years ago. Right now, I am in Las Vegas returning to Wisconsin. On the way to Phoenix and back to Milwaukee I mixed up my seat assignment with my gate number and had to be paged by the airline as I almost missed my flight. in 39 years flying alone that has never happened.there is a connection between the quickness of my channel surfing and how I can delete 30 emails in a minute.

Reply
Dave Simon link
10/24/2017 06:27:49 am

I can totally relate, Seth. Glad you made the flight. I have to imagine you gave a huge sigh of relief.

Reply
Fulva Seufert
10/24/2017 05:31:26 pm

Now that you are in recovery, you will have more time to write. Enjoy reading your words even though I do not often reply. Love, Fulva

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013

    Categories

    All

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.