Episode 1
Storyline
Episode 1 is the inciting incident of the podcast’s narrative structure, where Pia first discovers that she has issues with her attention span. She confides in her best friend, Mei Lin, who encourages her to dig deeper into the myths surrounding attention span. Together, they learn that the idea of an average attention span is meaningless, and that attention span varies from person to person and is influenced by factors such as interest and engagement.
Inspiration
As the team started to brainstorm some ideas for the podcast, one of our members shared an attention span fact that she saw: “Humans have the attention span of a goldfish”. This sparked a conversation among the team as we started to question the legitimacy of the statement above. After further research, we found out that there are quite a few myths and misconceptions surrounding the attention span topic. We decided to have an episode on this topic to debunk the attention span myth for our listeners.
Research findings
There are several myths surrounding the attention span topic. Firstly, the myth that Gen Z has a shorter attention span than a goldfish is false. The goldfish attention span statistic came from an unreliable source and there is no proof that goldfish have attention spans nor memory. However, the statistic proceeds to spread, shaping how media is produced and marketed.
Secondly, the idea of an average attention span is meaningless as attention span is task-dependent. Dr. Gemma Briggs, a psychology lecturer, explains that how much attention we apply to a task varies depending on its demands.
Lastly, the myth that attention span is solely the fault of Gen Z is incorrect and unfair. External factors such as constant notifications, ads and contents from big tech companies have shaped our attention spans. These platforms are designed to be addictive. As a result, reinforce short attention spans.