Thanks for this perspective. I wonder if a lot of this isn't so much an issue with attention span, but more a reluctance to put the work in?
That said, it does sound like it's the environment itself that's causing it. If the schools are encouraging 'brain breaks', I assume there's good reason behind it? Does that improve learning/retention?
ctrl+1 and ctrl+2. Buuuut it doesn't work when a game is running :(
I've considered learning python to try and write a plugin that could help with this... but I don't imagine I'll be ready with that any time soon as I basically have no programming knowledge.
Yes the karma system here is way better! It definitely reduces the hive mind mentality.
I don't think we need any kind of algorithm though. That would only serve to make the popular stuff more popular and the niche stuff gets buried. Maybe if I could personally filter out communities that I'm not interested in?
I find myself researching movies, books etc. before I read them so I can see if they'll suit my tastes. Then, even if they start slow I know generally I'll enjoy them and it'll be worth the initial investment. I think that helps improve my attention span because my patience is then rewarded.
An older film I really recommend is Twelve Angry Men. No special effects or camera work. Just twelve jurors in a room discussing a murder case - and I was hooked throughout! Perfectly paced.
Yes I think you're right. People haven't changed, but the environment has changed - it's continually getting better at manipulating us.
Lemmy does have a limited amount of content, but what it does have seems to be of higher quality. Which is perfect! We don't need constant, cheap content.
I do agree with your points for the most part. But I wonder - do films need to be constantly grabbing our attention? Sometimes a bit of downtime can enhance the subsequent action.
And boredom isn't necessarily a bad thing. It can push us to try new things and be creative, to consider our thoughts. If we have short form content available to fill every last second of our free time, it begins to feel like we have to fill those moments, otherwise we're wasting our time.
I think delayed gratification is a good thing, regardless of whether the delay conveys any benefit. Constant reward feels less meaningful. But yes it's a cost/benefit analysis - I wouldn't watch three seasons of a show in order to get to the good bit.
Some great points! So you think that people's capacity for attention hasn't changed, but the types of media we're exposed nowadays to can encourage us to change our behaviour toward consuming short form content? But if that content wasn't available, they could happily move back toward longer form content?
I do agree that short dopamine hits do make me feel good in the moment, but hollow after the fact. Longer, informative content does lodge itself more into my brain and provide longer lasting feelings of reward.
I actually had no idea Prey (2017) was a loose sequel to an earlier game. It looks like the 2006 game is quite hard to obtain nowadays... Maybe one to pirate at some point.
What do you think of the 2017 game? I've also heard good things about that.
Ah that's cool! But then again, the game is designed to be quite linear (there were a couple areas that required backtracking) so I wonder how much of a difference it really makes.
I'll have to give the remake a go at some point in the future.
I agree with Analogy's take on this. I don't think it's based on 'needs'. Selfish people are, and have always been selfish regardless of the situation. Stress does exacerbate it of course. And it's unfortunately the case that we live in a world that doesn't reward kindness. But despite this there are a lot of people that are kind because they want to be, because it's rewarding for it's own sake.
Thanks! :3