London - At the click of button or tap of a screen, they let us find and share virtually any type of information, anywhere in the world.
But for all their phenomenal advances, our addiction to smartphones and tablets has seen our brains go backwards – leaving us with a shorter attention span than a goldfish.
A study has found that although we are now much better at “multi-tasking” while we are assailed by information in the digital age, the length of time we can concentrate on a task without becoming distracted has dropped dramatically.
From an average of 12 seconds in 2000, the typical attention span is now just eight seconds, it found. The average goldfish is believed to have a nine-second attention span.
The study, commissioned by the computer software giant Microsoft, surveyed more than 2 000 people who played online games, and monitored the electrical brain activity of 112. Those “with more digital lifestyles” such as social media enthusiasts, “struggle to focus in environments where prolonged attention is needed”, the study report said.
Among its findings, 44 percent of respondents said they had to concentrate very hard to stay focused on tasks and 37 percent said they were unable to make best use of their time, forcing them to work late into the night and at weekends.
Just over half of those aged 18 to 24 said they check their phone at least every 30 minutes, 79 percent said they checked it while watching TV, and almost as many said checking their phone was the last thing they did before going to bed.
Microsoft said it wanted to understand the impact of pocket-sized devices and the widespread craving to be connected to the digital information network every moment of the day. However, the research will principally be used to help advertisers find better ways of reaching younger consumers.
“We know consumers’ lives are increasingly digital, whether at home or at work,” said Alyson Gausby of Microsoft Canada. “We wanted to understand how this is affecting the way [we] see and interact with the world.”
Daily Mail