Psychologist Gloria Mark Presents Research on Attention Spans and Digital Technologies

Psychologist Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine, discussed findings from three decades of studies on how people interact with digital technologies during a session at SXSW London. The event featured music, film screenings, and multiple presentations on artificial intelligence. Mark has examined attention, mood, and behavior through sensors and trackers in what she describes as living laboratory setups with adult volunteers.

Early research in her career focused on internet and email use. Mark noted that attention spans appeared to shorten as these tools became more common in daily routines. In 2003, her measurements showed an average attention span of approximately two and a half minutes before users shifted focus. She stated that the result was shorter than expected at the time. Follow-up work in 2012 recorded an average of 75 seconds. Data collected from 2014 to 2020 indicated a further reduction to 47 seconds on average.

Mark reported correlations between rapid attention switching and elevated stress levels in participants wearing heart rate monitors. She also observed that frequent switching extended the time required to complete individual tasks and affected performance measures as well as self-reported emotional well-being. These patterns were documented in adult users.

The discussion included references to recent legal cases involving social media platforms. In one instance, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay damages to a plaintiff who claimed the companies’ products contributed to childhood addiction. Meta reached a settlement with a Kentucky school district that had sought compensation for student mental health services. Additional suits from roughly 1,200 school districts remain pending. Mark stated that evidence from multiple studies on social media effects on children remains inconclusive at present.

A 2024 survey of LGBTQ+ teenagers recorded mixed descriptions of social media experiences, with some participants reporting rejection and others noting opportunities for connection and identity development. Mark indicated that large-scale, long-term studies, such as one associated with Australia’s social media restrictions for those under 16, may provide additional data.

When asked about artificial intelligence tools, Mark expressed concern regarding reduced depth of processing. She defined this term as the cognitive effort involved in evaluating or summarizing information, which supports learning, comprehension, and retention. Use of systems such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for writing or summarization tasks, she said, shifts that effort to the tool. She compared the situation to muscle atrophy from disuse and noted that lower critical thinking capacity could increase susceptibility to misinformation.

Mark also addressed interactions with AI-powered synthetic companions. Human relationships require sustained effort and mutual understanding, she observed, whereas automated responses do not. This difference, she suggested, may affect emotional intelligence, which some surveys have indicated is declining. She outlined a possible trajectory that includes shorter attention spans, increased loneliness and boredom, reduced emotional intelligence, and lower reported sense of purpose.

Mark emphasized that individuals can adjust their engagement with technology. She recommended deliberate effort in activities such as reading full texts instead of summaries, meeting others in person, and navigating without GPS assistance when feasible. She stated that technology cannot be abandoned but that new routines can be established to maintain cognitive and emotional capacities.

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