BBC News Online: Sci/Tech

Turning into digital goldfish

The addictive nature of web browsing can leave you with an attention span of nine seconds, the same as a goldfish.

"Our attention span gets affected by the way we do things," says Ted Selker, an expert in the online equivalent of body language at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

"If we spend our time flitting from one thing to another on the web, we can get into a habit of not concentrating," he told the BBC programme Go Digital.

Quickly bored

With literally millions of websites at our fingertips, the attention span of the average web surfer is measured in seconds.

"When I'm on the internet, my attention span is shorter for each thing because there are so many things to chose from," said one American web browser.

"So instead of focusing on one thing and getting the most out of it, I find myself getting bored quickly because I know there are so many more things out there to go to."

It seems that web surfers show a maddening unwillingness to stay put on any one website.

Sticky sites

Ever on the lookout for engaging content, most online viewers spend less than 60 seconds at an average site.

"People talk about this in terms of stickiness," explains psychiatrist Pam Briggs of Nottingham University in the UK.

"If a website has stickiness, it will keep your attention glued to that site rather than click on another one as your competitor is just one click away."

Other digital distractions, like e-mail or instant messaging, are also vying for our attention.

"E-mails are very seductive," says Pam Briggs.

"You can't leave them alone when your computer beeps to tell you have a new message, even though you are working on quite an important task."

Stay focused

And if all this was not enough, quickie movie breaks are a growing distraction. On Shortspan.com, the shortest film is 12 seconds long, while the longest is three and a half minutes.

"Primarily our audience is folks that already knew about Shortspan or are interested in movies and search for the word on the web. We also get lots of folks on their coffee break at work."

If you find you are spending all night on the web, unaware of time melting away, experts have some advice for you.

"Give yourself a question, give yourself a goal, write it down. Follow that goal, know why you're surfing," says Ted Selker.

"Because if you don't know why you are doing it, you are going to be pushed around by the most exciting words in a never ending sea of information."

That is true to a degree, but some sites have many articles I can't help but read in full. In some situations, "excessive" internet use has actually increased my attention span.
Alex Heighton, United Kingdom

It occurs to me that only people who don't have this condition will get far enough in this article to respond. Not a very balanced survey
Nin, France

I clicked the link to cast my opinion here even before finishing the story. Hopefully I'll remember to go back after I press the 'submit' button, but I've got four other websites open that i'm also looking at... [insert frowny face here].
Robert Liebermann, USA

Sure the fact we spend less time looking at one site in particular mirrors our faster lives, where the selection of what is relevant is becoming more and more important? The broadening of a mind, even on a shallow level cannot be all bad, can it?
Mark Wood, London, UK

Maybe, but think about how long we spend on each page of the sort of magazine that has the sort of content that you find on the web. And if picking up a new magazine is as easy as turning a page. Serious reading is only practicable on paper!
Ron Ellis, UK

I am always flitting through one web page to another, as a lot of websites have to much detail and I get easily bored.
Gavin Cox, United Kingdom

The reason that I don't 'stick' to a site is that either it is over designed and I don't want to watch loads of irrelevant flash/animation, or if I get bombarded with pop up adverts, I will leave. I find its more to do with tolerance level than attention span.
Matt Adams, UK

Nonsense! My attention span is as good as it ev.....
Bob Pinder, England

I don't think the web is lowering concentration spans, just changing the nature of concentration used. With the ability to multi-task, looking at many sites at the same time, web users need to be able to hold parallel strands of narrative simultaneously, not just one. In this regard, it is no worse for concentration spans than a book or theatrical production which runs several plot lines concurrently. The only issue - for all these media - is the quality of narrative which users can experience.
Nik Halton, England

I am currently mindlessly browsing the web while I have work at hand. Posting useless message on talking points that no one will read. Passively digesting information that will stay unused forever.
Sarah, UK

OK, how many people here never read the end of the article because they got distracted by the link to the comments box?
Peter, UK

I'd like to say how much I agreed with your well written and informative articl... oooooh sports link, (click)
GMcD, Scotland