{"id":666,"date":"2019-03-22T18:39:12","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T18:39:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/22\/2019322the-goldfish-effect-and-the-art-of-distraction-how-social-media-is-shrinking-our-attention-spans\/"},"modified":"2020-09-05T19:34:57","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T19:34:57","slug":"2019322the-goldfish-effect-and-the-art-of-distraction-how-social-media-is-shrinking-our-attention-spans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hqnn.org\/hqpress\/2019\/03\/22\/2019322the-goldfish-effect-and-the-art-of-distraction-how-social-media-is-shrinking-our-attention-spans\/","title":{"rendered":"The Goldfish Effect (and the art of distraction): how social media is shrinking our attention spans"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Hannah Cotter <\/p>\n

Wake up. Check phone. Stand up. Check phone. Eat breakfast. Check phone. <\/p>\n

No, this isn\u2019t a weird remix to Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cSwimming Pools (Drank).\u201d<\/a> This is what a normal morning looks like for me, according to the Screen Time feature on my iPhone. <\/p>\n

The latest iPhone update for iOS 12 gives you access to Apple\u2019s Screen Time suite, designed to give you a better idea of how much time you\u2019re spending on your phone and giving you the option to limit time spent on certain apps. <\/p>\n

The feature lurks quietly in the background while you\u2019re scrolling through your Instagram feed or checking your emails on Outlook, silently adding minutes to your end of the week report. <\/p>\n

\u201cYour screen time was up 15% last week,\u201d it tells me, and I automatically feel\u2026 shame? <\/p>\n

I\u2019ve become painfully aware of my social media addiction, but with a 24\/7 media barrage of politics, pop culture and sports, it\u2019s hard to look away. All I need to know, it seems, is in the palm of my hand. <\/p>\n

Checking our phones has become second nature, like scratching an itch or touching our hair. <\/p>\n

According to the Pew Research Center<\/a>, 44% of teenagers in the United States say they check their phones as soon as they wake up. 18% of them say they feel obligated to respond to messages or notifications immediately. <\/p>\n

The charts below depict the percentage of U.S. teens who say they\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

People are quick to blame millennials for social media dependency, but that same study suggests 60% of parents also feel compelled to respond to messages right away. <\/p>\n

Check out the parents who say they\u2026 <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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Source: Pew Research Center<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

In a sense, our digital relationships are starting to take priority over our real life ones. <\/p>\n

Though social media has many great assets: making communication easier, galvanizing human capital and spreading news and information in a quick and effective way, our dependence on it is starting to affect our lives off the screen.  <\/p>\n

How many times have you sat in a meeting or in a class where nearly everyone is consumed by what\u2019s on their laptops or smartphones instead of what\u2019s going on in front of them? <\/p>\n

According to a 2015 study<\/a> by Microsoft Corp., people generally lose concentration after eight seconds due to an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeavy multi-screeners find it difficult to filter out irrelevant stimuli,\u201d the report reads. \u201cThey\u2019re more easily distracted by multiple streams of media.\u201d<\/p>\n

Multi-screening is more common than you might think: look around next time you\u2019re watching television with someone. Odds are, they\u2019re juggling whatever you\u2019re watching with whatever\u2019s on their smartphone.<\/p>\n

Audrey Rowe, a senior at Quinnipiac University, says she and her roommates oftentimes balance social media with whatever\u2019s on their television. <\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of times when I\u2019m watching shows, I\u2019ll find myself on my phone,\u201d Rowe said. \u201cMy roommates will do that, too. We\u2019ll be watching something, like sitting on the couch, and we\u2019re on our phones. What\u2019s on the TV is just background noise and I\u2019m looking through Instagram or Snapchat stories.\u201d <\/p>\n

Why? <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt\u2019s so stupid. I want to watch the show, but I\u2019m on my phone because it\u2019s right there. You\u2019re on it so much that it feels natural to be on it even when you\u2019re watching something else. I want to be in touch with what\u2019s going on, I guess.\u201d <\/p>\n

I spoke with Adam Alter, a social psychologist and professor at New York University and the author of \u201cIrresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping us Hooked.\u201d In his book, Alter explores the affects of social media addiction and how we can combat it. <\/p>\n

We discussed Twitter and how a lot of people can\u2019t physically get themselves to read more than a headline or a short tweet anymore, thanks to our 280-character attention spans. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s easier than every to develop a short attention span,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause so few experiences demand more than bite-sized chunks of attention. They\u2019re designed that way because their creators know they\u2019re competing with lots of other experiences that are just as likely to capture our time and attention.\u201d <\/p>\n

Social media helps brands go further, faster, cheaper and deeper than any other technology. In the social media landscape, brands are able to hook consumers with ads on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Because everyone is already on it, it\u2019s easy for businesses to plant ads in celebrity posts or partner with brands because people are seeing the posts anyway. It\u2019s become one of our generation\u2019s most effective business tools.  <\/a><\/p>\n

For Will Pustari, a video producer, social media is strictly business. <\/p>\n

Working at Barstool Sports, a sports and pop culture blog with a heavy presence on Twitter, social media became a major part of his job. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only factor in all of the work I\u2019ve done there,\u201d he said. \u201cKeeping up and especially capitalizing on every trend is extremely important. Because anyone can join the social media platform, many topics become oversaturated and diluted, making it all the more difficult to stay on top of what the masses are into at that point in time.\u201d <\/p>\n

Because he was always scouring the \u2018Net for work-related news, his personal accounts got put on the back burner. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was constantly on the prowl for new content and staying on top of trends,\u201d he explained. \u201cSo my own social media profiles became inactive for some time, but it didn\u2019t bother me so much since it helped my work life significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do we find a balance between social media in our work lives and our personal lives? Can we find a balance between our screen time and our real experiences?  <\/p>\n

Alter says the key is to relearn how to focus.  <\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way [to relearn to focus] is to be mindful about the issue\u2014to train yourself to avoid a quick fix and to read longform articles and books; to close your browser as you undertake longer tasks; and to take time away from tech and screens to immerse yourself in deeper work and thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out my podcast, The Goldfish Effect, to hear more stories about social media distraction.<\/p>\n

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