As social media becomes more universal, people’s attention spans suffer the consequences. Based on surveys from the Pew Research Center, approximately 95% of teenagers use at least one social media platform. Many teens are retiring their TVs, opting instead to scroll on TikTok or Instagram.
One of the reasons platforms such as TikTok and Instagram are so popular is because of their convenience. The ability to have quick and personalized entertainment in an instant makes it easy to engage anywhere, anytime. Owning a cell phone allows people to watch reels on their morning commute, or scroll while at school. On the other hand, watching a movie or TV show has a higher time commitment and can typically only be done at home.
In addition, social media is intentionally designed to be addictive. Through use of social media platforms, dopamine is released to the brain and keeps users online regularly. Some screen addicted people even go to the lengths to combine the two, using a second screen while watching movies or shows. According to a Civic Science survey, 89% of Gen-Z use a second screen while watching TV, and 30% are using social media.
This suggests that people want content that they don’t have to spend much thought on. When asked if he prefers TikTok to movies, Garfield student Nico Flores-Large said, “Probably TikTok, because it can be more entertaining quickly, and I don’t need to wait for a plot.” Another student, Adriana Nieves B, was asked her opinion on TikTok and TV, “I feel like TikTok is funny, and the videos are very short.”
As more people choose short form entertainment, the average attention span is shrinking. According to Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, the average time a person can focus on one screen has decreased significantly, from an average of two and a half minutes in 2004 to 47 seconds in 2021.
This drop in attention spans is affecting many aspects of the film industry, especially movie theaters. According to Nash Information Services, box office sales have fallen over 179 billion dollars in the US and Canada from 2023 to 2024. Filmmaking is also changing, with more studios producing movies centered around fast-paced action and big stunts. Directors are now shortening the lengths of the shots in their films to keep the audience consistently engaged.
While both movies and social media each have their places, convenience and shortening attention spans are popularizing short-form entertainment while leaving less room for TV, and it remains to be seen how entertainment industries will adapt going forward.
