Goldfish Don’t Binge Netflix

THE ANECDOTE

I stumbled across an article claiming that humans now have shorter attention spans than goldfish. Goldfish, it said, can focus for 9 seconds. We supposedly clock in at just over 8.

That comparison comes from a 2015 Microsoft Canada study that made its way into mainstream outlets — including Time Magazine — and quickly went viral. It’s catchy. A little absurd. And, as it turns out, deeply oversimplified. The science behind it? Not exactly ironclad.

But it stuck — because it felt true.

How else do you explain how often we pick up our phones mid-conversation or open new tabs before we finish reading the one we’re on?

How then do we reconcile this claim with our ability to binge-watch an entire season of a show in one night? Clearly, our attention spans haven’t completely crumbled. Take that, goldfish! 

There’s probably some truth to the idea that our attention spans are under siege, especially given the relentless digital distractions we face every day. But what’s driving this? Why do we allow it? A more insightful study might examine how FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) has skyrocketed over the last decade or how quickly we now expect responses compared to the 1980s. Back then, the fastest way to find your friends was to spot the pile of bikes in the front yard.

The sheer volume of information we consume daily also plays a role. But I’d argue the biggest factor is the quality of the content itself. As the saying goes, “They just don’t make ’em like they used to.”

That might explain why true breakout – the stories, moments, and experiences that stopped us in our tracks, still manage to captivate us:

• The Moon Landing
• Game of Thrones
• Steve Jobs
• Meow Wolf
• The Savannah Bananas

When something is exceptional, it commands attention.

A RADICAL IDEA

What if our collective attention spans haven’t fallen at all? What if the real issue is that the content we consume has rapidly declined in quality or simply overwhelmed us in volume? When something truly compelling captures our interest, like a gripping story, an important project, something we’re passionate about – we do more than focus. We deeply engage. 

Maybe the issue isn’t our attention spans, but rather a need for better content and more meaningful moments. What if we become curators of our own experience, tuning out the noise and zooming in on what matters most? What if we agree to demand better content, from ourselves, from one another, from the world. 

CHALLENGE YOURSELF

Take a moment to pause and audit your inputs. What’s truly adding value, and what’s just noise? Choose one thing to declutter — an app, a news source, or even a task that no longer serves a purpose. Take something away that’s preventing you from creating your best work. 

Then, take that reclaimed attention and invest it in something worthwhile. A book you’ve been meaning to read, a skill you’ve wanted to refine, a meaningful conversation you’ve been putting off, or creating your best work on a project you need to ship. 

Demand better, create better, receive better attention.

🔗 Connect with me at linkedin.com/in/scottschoeneberger.