Can We Please Kill The Attention Span Myth?

Try as I might to dispel the myth of the shrinking attention span; it continues to dominate way too many marketing presentations and keynote speeches. So, I worked with a colleague to produce the first in a series of videos that dispel some myths and misconceptions online… as well as bring some of my rants to the public.

Make your blog posts shorter, videos shorter, and graphics simpler… the list of terrible advice goes on and on. Marketers have not just spread the attention span myth; it’s also been spread by major news media, including Time magazine, the Telegraph, the Guardian, USA Today, the New York Times, the National Post, Harvard on US radio, and in the management book Brief.

Ugh.

Despite widespread beliefs about shrinking attention spans, some research suggests that adults today may have better concentration at work compared to previous decades. This could reflect a trend where IQs have risen, suggesting improvements in cognitive abilities, including concentration.

Thankfully, one media outlet did the work and investigated the myth that human attention spans were shrinking… the BBC. Author Simon Maybin contacted the listed source of the data – the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the US National Library of Medicine, and the Associated Press – and neither can find any record of research that backs up the stats.

In yet, another irony… Simon finds that goldfish don’t have short attention spans, either!

It’s About Choice!

We now live in a world where everything is on-demand and literally at our fingertips. Here are some examples:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – I searched for assistance on some code I was writing. I clicked the first few results on the search engine results page and didn’t find what I was looking for. I then rewrote the search and ultimately found the information I needed. Does that mean my attention span was shorter because I spent little time on each search result? No, it meant they weren’t relevant, and I continued searching for the information I needed until I found it. My attention span never swayed from the task at hand… but the choices did.
• Audio and Video – I love listening to podcasts and watching videos but have no patience for bloviating or self-promoting speakers. I will skip listening or watching videos continuously… until I get to a result where the quality and production provide me with what I want. And then, I may listen for hours if the topic is informational and entertaining. We live in a world of binge-watching on-demand video. Folks, there are no attention span issues on a Game of Thrones weekend!

AJ does a great job of sharing videos where the target audience is between nine and fifteen years old! For all of history, old curmudgeons have battled young people to pay attention… and these YouTubers can get billions of views for videos that sometimes last more than an hour.

What our youth have that we didn’t have is choice.

Four Stages of Attention

Attention is not a singular concept but a multifaceted process that evolves across stages depending on context and goals. Several frameworks have explored these stages, blending insights from psychology, neuroscience, and marketing. The AIDA Model (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) aligns well with these phases but is explicitly geared toward driving action.

One framework is the Four Stages of Attention, which categorizes attention into distinct levels based on intensity and duration.

Reactive Attention

The first stage is Reactive Attention, also called automatic or reflexive attention. This stage is an immediate, automatic response to novel, sudden, or emotionally engaging stimuli, such as a loud noise, a vibrant image, or an unexpected movement. It lasts only milliseconds to a few seconds and aims to capture initial awareness. Research highlights that this type of attention is driven by the brain’s orienting response, involving areas like the amygdala and the reticular activating system. An example of this is a push notification or an eye-catching headline in an ad.

Focused Attention

The second stage is Focused Attention, which occurs when an individual consciously directs their focus toward a specific task or stimulus. Unlike reactive attention, focused attention requires cognitive effort and is driven by interest or perceived relevance. It typically lasts several seconds to a few minutes, engaging and holding someone’s attention. This stage is vital for reading a blog post or engaging with a video introduction. Research on the prefrontal cortex underscores its role in voluntary attention and decision-making, as illustrated by Kahneman’s Capacity Model of Attention.

Sustained Attention

The third stage is Sustained Attention, or concentration. This stage represents the ability to maintain attention on a task or stimulus over an extended period, mainly when the task requires continuous mental effort. It can last minutes to hours and is crucial for activities requiring deeper engagement, such as attending a webinar or completing a detailed project. This stage involves brain areas like the anterior cingulate cortex and relies on dopaminergic pathways to maintain prolonged focus. It is a critical phase in learning and productivity.

Long-Term Attention

The final stage is Long-Term Attention, which reflects enduring engagement over days, weeks, or even months. This stage often involves learning, researching, or developing expertise on a topic, enabling a deeper understanding and long-term loyalty. Examples include subscribing to a newsletter, following a content series, or conducting months-long research before making a major decision. Long-term attention engages the hippocampus and is closely tied to memory and motivational theories like self-determination, distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic attention drivers.

Marketing and Attention Spans

Understanding these stages and their mechanisms allows for more precise strategies to engage audiences in marketing, education, or content creation. Businesses and creators can foster meaningful and lasting connections with their audiences by tailoring approaches to match the evolving stages of attention.

Marketers often align these stages of attention with audience engagement strategies. Reactive Attention corresponds to awareness generation, such as social media ads or splashy visuals. Focused Attention aligns with initial engagement, including attention-grabbing landing pages or short-form content. During active consideration phase, product demos or in-depth blog posts hold value, sustained attention is key. Long-term attention reflects deeper brand loyalty and decision-making, often nurtured through sustained education campaigns or long-term content strategies.

Modern attention isn’t shrinking—it’s evolving. Marketers’ challenge is meeting audiences where they are, leveraging strategies catering to immediate engagement and long-term interest. Rather than shallow, mass-produced streams, content that focuses on depth and relevance wins the attention game. By building rich content libraries that provide comprehensive and actionable insights, you capture your audience’s interest and retain it, building stronger connections and driving meaningful engagement. The key is to respect your audience’s time and intelligence by offering the value they seek, both in the moment and in the long term.