Process Post: Visualizing Content

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We live in a world surrounded by content. It has gotten to the point where the online and real world are inseparable, or at the very least feel like they are. In article “How I Got My Attention Back” by Craig Mod, he delves into a myriad of examples, both personal and general, surrounding how our reliance on media has left us with no creativity, mental will power, or attention span.

As an individual who grew up in time just pre-extreme technology, I have definitely noticed a change in how I navigate the world since it has been integrated in my life. I have found this most noticeable through the rapid popularity of short form content, like TikTok. During the pandemic, being isolated social media was really the only way to feel immersed or more connected to the large majority of people, but this also has its drawbacks. For instance I noticed that prior to Tik Tok or Instagram stories, watching a twenty minute YouTube video was not that long, but now if a video goes past the ten minute mark it feels too long or extraneous to watch at times. I notice that my attention span has gone down significantly, to the point where I feel more demanding of the content I consume.

The idea of being completely offline for a month, while seemingly refreshing in nature, feels utterly impossible. As a student of Interactive Arts and Technology, there is little that can be done in my major without the use of some form of technology. Similarly, due to how stressful and jam packed my schedule is due to classes, working and extra curriculars, social media or texting is truly how I am able to maintain friendships and social connections with most people in my life. Going beyond the factors of school, being online is really the only break I get in my day. Watching a video, listening to music, scrolling through social media, is typically what I do when I have a break or spare time. With this complete immersion into technology it is no wonder that our attention spans have decreased. Within the online space there is a constant influx of advertisements or links leading to other things, we are never able to fully stay with one coherent train of thought.