Attention Spans Shorten on the Web

We are a society with a short attention span. The Web fits right in with that trait because it is a source of immediate information. With high-speed Internet, we can quickly get online, find the answer to our question, and be on to the next task in seconds flat.

Web statistics can attest that users generally look at only 2 to 3 web pages on any given site, and 30 seconds on any given page. This indicates they look for exactly what they want and either find it quickly or give up and move on to the next site (hopefully the former, rather than the latter). We want information quick, we want it now, and we have little tolerance for websites that don’t clearly tell us where to find what we want.

So which came first- the short attention span or the Internet? Either way, the two feed off of one another. Those with short attention spans can go to the Web for quick information keep moving to the next thing.

That’s all I have to say on this subject. On to the next thing… .