In the modern era, it has been found that regardless of the reason (technology, shortened attention span, convergence of influences) the data shows that most people are not reading articles, posts or blogs past the first major point being made.
Jim VandeHei did a TEDx talk about his journey to understand that even though the White House was sharing is amazing 1600 page article, the data showed that virtually nobody read the full article and the majority didn't make it past the first page.
People who choose to read something report that they spend roughly 26 seconds looking at it. The average person with a smartphone check their phone around 250 time a day.
THE REASON? Distraction and expectation.
People are distracted by technology because of not only push notifications from several apps throughout the day but because of their expectation to get all the information they want in less than 7 breaths (26 seconds) on average.
To honor the title of this blog, I won't go into detail about how every breath is a cycle of experience that helps us process information. But I will say that 26 seconds is longer than most people can hold their breath comfortably without taking deep breaths first.
The expectations to get all the info we want in 7 breaths may point towards a tendency for people wanting to have general knowledge more than specialist knowledge.
THE SOLUTION? Journaling and Breathwork.
When you journal about what you've read or learned each day, it causes you to process the information you gathered and self-organize it. Some say if you want to know if you've learned something, then try teaching it to someone and see if they understand. If you want to keep pace with this rapidly moving social world, then journal in simple words and with brevity. The more you do this, the clearer your mind will process and access your knowledge base when in conversation. It may even alleviate anxiety.
I believe an unsung hero to a clear and simple mind is to bring your attention consistently to your breath. The more you simply focus on breath, the more you'll keep your mind grounded in your body and practicalities of communication
Try it and let me know what you think by posting on the Discord chat group.
This is completely true..IMO..also social media apps have conditioned us to have shorter attention spans. I do believe there is still hope for humanity but we need discipline in our lives if we want to develop into better human beings.