December, 2022
By Jerald Herrera, News Reporter
In just six years, TikTok has amassed an audience of about 1 billion, roughly 20% of the total internet population, and with these numbers increasing daily, one can only wonder what the potential effects are of this phenomenon. Having an increase in this short-style content business model, people are getting used to shorter attention spans. Although not the cause, they certainly appeal to this change in society. Platforms like TikTok have the power to dictate how newer generations will interact with the world, and a shorter attention span might create unique problems they will have to face. Because the content we consume is changing, users are getting increasingly used to having shorter attention spans and ruining our perception of time and how we use it.
The obstructive effect of a shorter attention span can lead to endless scrolling, causing one to get stuck in a vicious dopamine cycle. According to BostonDigital.com, the average human attention span has reduced to about 8 seconds. Despite stereotypes, this has more to do with people’s dependency on the internet and mobile devices than with age. With the attention span reducing, media companies have no choice but to compete for our attention, leading to faster and more effective ways to retain viewers, like TikTok’s format and YouTube’s similar “Shorts.” These quick and content-packed forms of media are made to not only keep one scrolling but also make the viewer think that what they are consuming is worth their time. The more you consume, the less you can value your time, causing people to procrastinate on their true priorities. This has become a problem that some fail at correcting later on when they attempt to reduce their screen time, especially after the surge of TikTok.
At this point, many consider consuming these types of media as a way to stay informed about the world and expand their views on different aspects of society. Delaney, writer for AuthenticallyDel writes, “Instead of appealing to our short attention span with quick, satisfying videos, our time would be better spent reading, learning, or spending time away from our phones.”
While it is true that TikTok has made the people of the internet much more accessible. With the swipe of a finger being able to introduce you to a whole other world, the way we perceive the platform is very different from the effects it’s having on people.
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic allowed for apps like TikTok to flourish as most people were forced to stay home, finding entertainment in the daily lives of others. Now, as the world attempts to return to normal, people have found themselves unable to let go of the habits they formed during the pandemic. The effects of the pandemic have brought the underlying relationship we have with technology to light, and we are noticing how destructive these behaviors can be in our daily life.
To summarize, the surge of the short-content business model has shortened our attention span and negatively impacted how we use our time. We spend so much time absorbing ourselves into the lives of others that we forget that our time is just as valuable. Your time is as valuable as you think it is. When you treat it as if it’s not, your mind only has that to work off. We, as a people, should be more careful of how we use our time; be wary of what we consume because the result often comes back with interest.
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