Microsoft has a research among Canadians and concluded that there is a connection between the use of new technology, such as smartphones and social media, and attention span. In the frequent user is the attention span is significantly shorter, according to Microsoft.
On average the attention span decreased from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds now, says the company from Redmond. It took the researchers a relationship with a ‘digital lifestyle’, which is defined as the use of cell phones, social networks and other media. It is especially young people that this lifestyle profile. The study shows that it is mainly the frequent user of new technologies, in whom the attention span is short. It is likely therefore that many readers of this article not get past the first paragraph.
There was also a second respect, found, that improves technology adopters. So have they had a shorter attention span, but from brain research, it appeared that they are more short-term peaks in their attention. That indicates that they are better able to multitask, since they have a short time to get their attention a number of times to shift.
How representative the study is, is not clear. So there may be due to the study design, no causal links can be drawn and it is not in a scientific journal was published: the research is mainly aimed at marketers. The research report is to find on the Microsoft web site.