The Digital World: Human Attention Span Is Shorter Than A Goldfish's

In 2000, the average human attention span was 12 seconds and by 2013, it had decreased to 8 seconds. If we pause and think about it for a moment, we find that is a very significant drop of 4 seconds, which means we are losing 30% of our attention span per second every year (2000-2013.) Based on scientific research, the attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds - they are above us by 1%. The drop of the human attention span is a result of living in a more digitalized world.

During this flourishing spring, Microsoft conducted new research on human attention span because they consider attention is a necessary ingredient for effective advertising and marketing. According to Microsoft, "this innovative new research uses neuro science to understand the changing nature of attention in the context of Canadians’ increasingly digital lives and offers advice to help brands and advertisers better engage connected consumers..." 

“We are moving from a world where computing power was scarce to a place where it now is almost limitless, and where the true scarce commodity is increasingly human attention.” Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft.

Here are top factors that impact attention based on the findings of Microsoft's research:

1. Media Consumption: 1/2 of Canadians automatically reach for their phone when nothing is occupying their attention. 

2. Social Media Usage: 2/3 use social media for news, but 57% prefer getting media through long-form sources

3. Technology Adoption Rate: 59% would feel lost without the devices they use everyday. Digital behaviours negatively affect the ability to remain focused for extended periods of time, savvy Canadians are also training themselves to process information more efficiently through short bursts of high attention.

4. Multi-screening Behavior: 2/3 often use other devices while watching TV. Multi-screening doesn’t reduce the potential impact of advertising – it improves the ability to effectively switch tasks, emotional connection, and encoding to memory.

This new and innovative Microsoft research started to make big news all around since last Friday, May 14, 2015. Check out what these online media outlets had to say about it:

TIME: You Now Have a Shorter Attention Span Than a Goldfish. No longer can we boast about 12 seconds of coherent thought.The average attention span for the notoriously ill-focused goldfish is nine seconds, but according to a new study from Microsoft Corp., people now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.

...And now congratulate yourself for concentrating long enough to make it through this article.

New York Daily News: Human attention span is now shorter than a goldfish’s: study.  Humans now have shorter attention spans than goldfish — and we would write more, but you’re probably clicking somewhere else already.The new finding — by, of all companies, Microsoft — suggests that the little fish can concentrate for nine seconds compared to eight for humans.

The researchers looked at three different types of attention: Sustained attention is the ability to focus on one task continuously; selective attention is the ability to respond when distractions come up; and alternating attention is multitasking.

The Telegraph: Humans have shorter attention span than goldfish, thanks to smartphones. The average human's attention span is... oh look, a bird! According to scientists, the age of smartphones has left humans with such a short attention span even a goldfish can hold a thought for longer. Goldfish, meanwhile, are believed to have an attention span of nine seconds.

More on human attention span research

The National Center for Biotechnology Information, at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, has also conducted human attention span research this spring and following are a few statistics:

• 8.25 is the average attention span in 2015
• 25% of teens forget major details of close friends and relatives
• 7% of people forget their own birthdays from time to time
• The average office worker checks their email 30 times every hour
• Average length watched of a single internet video is 2.7 minutes

Note: The fact that human attention span has decreased since is old news, what is new and is making big headlines is Microsoft's innovative research linking human attention span with social and media consumption through technology.

I invite you to leave a comment to share your thoughts about this interesting research by Microsoft and about how you feel now that you know goldfish have an increased attention span than you and I - well, that is if you still remember what you read in this last paragraph. Cheers!

Image credit: airomarketing.com