[Dalberg-Acton]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

[Jamestown1630]

I think you’re exactly right. It has ‘trained’ us to take information in small, quick gulps.

[jpp113]

Yep, seems like it causes a form of ADD

[fidelis]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

Yes, and it isn't only young folks. I meet people of all ages who never crack a book. They expect to be spoon-fed information.

[Zack Attack]

“I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.”

tl;dr

[dfwgator]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

---

I was going to respond, but I got distracted.

[gundog]

TLDR

[chopperk]

Internet is a definite issue. When in high school, I had no problem with reading, I was very interested in all types of subject matters and the authors of classics, humanities and drama.

[Hot Tabasco]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

I would agree. When I was much younger, I read lots of books.

Now, however, I don't have the attention span to get into book reading. Too much reading short articles on the internet

[T.B. Yoits]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

Possibly, but it's also the case that online articles compete with other websites, so their authors are forced to get to the point. Just skip the extraneous bullspit and get to the point. Readers have grown accustomed to it and appreciate it.

If you were to black out irrelevant sentences from publications, especially publications aimed at students, you'd be surprised at how little is left.

For example, Jason Fenske, on his YouTube channel 'Engineering Explained', can explain engineering subjects in 15 minutes, whereas I've read books from authors who not only couldn't do it well and in a timely manner, they got it absolutely wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/user/EngineeringExplained/videos

Cliffs Notes^TM and Wikipedia were ahead of their time. It's not that Johnny can't read; it's that the authors can't write.

[Bikkuri]

I find it annoying that everything is explained on YouTube videos now. It's hard to find text to read instructions anymore (which I prefer).
Even more annoying, are the red-dots that I can't understand a word of what they are saying.
Then, there are the (mostly Chinese) that use a synthetic voice to speak the instructions, usually of a synthetic female 🤪🤔

[GnuThere]

Yes, they have the attention span of a gnat.
I see them at my workplace. They do their job for maybe 5-10 minutes, then have to get to their $8 coffee and surf on their phone.
Rinse, repeat all day long. Absolutely no focus, discipline or work ethic.

[Moltke]

I think the Internet is causing people to have short attention spans.

TL;DR

[linMcHlp]

Re some young people working at a restaurant in Oklahoma.

They know the street names for places and stores - thanks to their cell phone “education” (companion), but they do not know where the places are, no awareness on a compass, map . . . without looking at their electronic display “companion.”

They did not know the names of trees and birds that were just outside the windows of the restaurant.

In a major city, there is one library that has the history books. All of the other libraries including the remote counties, have had their history books removed “to the central depository.”