‘TikTok brain’ may be coming for your kid’s attention span::Emerging research suggests that TikTok’s rapid-fire short videos are affecting the attention spans of its younger users, making it harder for them to engage in activities that require more sustained attention.
I saw an interview of a professional on this matter. Unfortunately I don’t remember his name but the points he made were thought provoking.
Today we consume more and faster media than ever, but few people ever spent all their time reading alone quietly or even watched TV focusing solely on the program. We listen to radio or a have conversation simultaneously. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors listened to each other’s stories while doing small tasks in their homes. Conversations between people flow and change subjects constantly. Almost like TikToks.
The point is that it’s nothing new that we engage in a combination of activities and like to surround ourselves with multiple or fast paced sources of information and stimulation.
My personal view is that TikToks being short or fast paced isn’t an issue. But there are other aspects that worry me. Social media videos cause many people to develop various degrees of parasocial relationships with the creators, and the content satisfies the need for actual relationships and can make real life and people seem boring.