If I uploaded this picture as a ten second video with the cat (Vivi!) staring straight at the camera and the caption "Wait for it...", most people would assume the cat is about to do something unexpected. But, is the payoff worth the wait? After all, ten seconds could equate to scrolling through twenty+ social media posts or watching a better video.
The internet is an amazing tool. It can be used to help or to harm, to spread truth and misinformation at clicking speed. Many use it to shoot pictures and encouragement to friends and family while others argue with people they never have to worry about running into at the grocery store.
Our lives are now dictated by tiny devices running on electricity. Nothing spikes anxiety like a 5% battery icon halfway through the day.
And few instances speak of the internet's cultural impact louder than our dwindling attention spans. Every time I see a "Wait for it..." on a video around ten seconds long, I cringe. I spend little time on social media, so the fact that I noticed this phenomenon is chilling. Fewer and fewer people are able to sit and watch a video build for ten seconds before losing interest and moving onto the next thing.
The remedy? "Wait for it..."
It's a subjective promise that the content is worth a deposit of time. This is like saying, "I know you have 1000 other shorter videos awaiting your attention, but this one's payoff is good if you can stand the exceptionally long wait."
Ten seconds is now considered too long to wait for a reward. Yikes!
Now, of course this isn't always the case. But when I can see the shift in my in-person friends and family time versus what these encounters were like fifteen or twenty years ago, it's frightening. Many of my friends cannot go more than five minutes without checking their phones for a less than ten second fix of something. Anything. A new text notification that implies someone else notices them is more important than the person front and center?
I have been guilty of this, too. Now, I strive to only check my phone if I'm by myself or my friend is engrossed in their alternate world already.
One of the few times the "ten second attention rule" doesn't apply is when people are irritated. We've all seen where complaining and angry reactions permeate threads and comments. Politics, religion, kid rearing, biases, and other controversial issues? Many choose to dwell here and push their opinions on others. Does this mean the majority prefer to spend more than ten seconds on negativity? I hope not.
But this result is especially worrisome for creatives.
Fifteen years ago, I was huge into DeviantArt. I posted my digital art there and had several friends and strangers who enjoyed leaving lengthy comments and chatting about the pieces. Over the years, that number dwindled to the point of no one commenting on new images beyond a "Nice" or "Love it."
Then, nothing.
At most, other users would add the piece to their favorites list and move on to the next and the next. At least they had nothing mean to say? I suppose.
Ten seconds is not enough time to leave a decent comment unless you can type or text at light speed. Maybe some people can.
I'm one of those weird people who gets just as annoyed by one word responses than no reaction at all. It's like pretentious small talk to me. Yes, this is selfish, but I would hope the people closest to me can squeeze more than ten seconds out of their busy schedule to acknowledge something important to me. And because I know what it's like to feel overlooked, I do my best not to make anyone else feel that way. I won't always get it right, but I'm trying to make a greater effort to engage with other people and their interests, even if I don't share them. I also know I can't hold others to my own standards. Self righteousness does no one any good.
But I can only wonder what this dwindling attention span will do/has done to the writing industry.
Another issue I've noticed is the lack of proofing in online articles from large companies. Even in printed material. One of my favorite exercises while on vacation is to read check-in and area instructions for hotels/VRBOs, etc. Nine times out of ten, I find a typo. The best most recent mistake was a pamphlet detailing Hilton Head Island's bike trails. The article read "Please peddle safely." But...I'm not selling anything?
Eh, some will catch it, most won't.
It takes less than ten seconds to spot and correct a typo, but the editor has to care enough to spend more than ten seconds proofing a document.
Getting a decent job takes more than ten seconds.
Eating healthy takes more than ten seconds.
Exercising takes more than ten seconds.
Most meaningful tasks take...you get the idea.
For authors, there's already a staggering amount of pressure to nail the first line of a short story or novel. It takes less than ten seconds to read and absorb the opening line of a book or back flap blurb. But this is where a large percentage of readers make the decision to keep reading or keep browsing.
I've been studying the opening lines of blurbs and books I enjoy, just to see how my own work stacks up. What made me want to read a story? Why did I get hooked on that first glimpse of a character's journey? Am I doing it right?
I have to remind myself of this almost daily: writing and reading are and will always be subjective.
Ahhh, now I can relax and clear my head enough to keep slogging through multiple manuscript editing passes. Just because some people won't be interested in a RomCom featuring a basement demon and a woman out of her element doesn't mean no one will. And because I'm interested in it, someone else has to be.
Diversity is an author's best friend.
So, I'll keep writing and waiting to see where it will all go. Perhaps I get published traditionally, or perhaps I find a different way to use my God-given passion. Until then, I hope I can pass on this type of encouragement to those who may be wondering the same thing I am: can I peel three overripe bananas in less than ten seconds?
Keep on smilin'!
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