"Podcast Workflows" Show Asks: "Is Our Attention Span Becoming Shorter?"

 Joe Casabona is a podcast systems coach who helps busy solopreneurs take back their time. Some even say he perfectly blends content creation and technology like it’s the best cup of coffee you’ve ever had (he says that).

Joe is also the host of the Podcast Workflows podcast. Podcasting has many masters, but few true gurus. Joe is one of them. 

His podcast, Podcast Workflows, is recommended listening for any aspirational podcaster. On his December 1st episode, Joe asked, "Can long podcasts compete with short attention spans?" In the episode, Joe takes a machete to the conventional wisdom that current media outlets like social media and podcasting are partially responsible for our "alleged shorter attention spans."

 "With the advent of any new technology, there will come its detractors," says Joe in the episode.

He goes on to give examples: "When books were first published, people worried that they would supplant oral storytelling. When Sony introduced its Walkman, people worried that we would become less social."

Joe then discusses how the introduction of short form video has been accused of sharply curtailing people's attention spans. This, of course, relates to shorter podcasts.

"Does your attention span shrink when you watch a short video to its completion?" Joe asks. "How about if you don't read a 400-page book all in one sitting?"

In this episode, Joe discussed short-form versus long-form content. Right in the beginning, Joe questions the studies that short form content damages our attention spans. 

I think he has a point. Sometimes, we hear something often enough and begin to accept it as truth. Take, for example, the "we only use ten percent of our brain" myth. Science, however, tells us that we use virtually every part of our brain and most of the brain is active all the time.

As related to attention spans, here's Virginia Heffernan in The New York Times. "So how did we find ourselves with this unhappy attention span conceit, and with the companion idea that a big attention span in humankind’s best moral and aesthetic asset?"

Heffernan goes on to say that "distractibility has its advantages," one of them being protection against obsession, as in Captain Ahab in Moby Dick.

Casabona questions the assumption that we have shorter attention spans. He points out that TikTok increased its video time limit to 10 minutes. And the sweet spot for YouTube appears to be 12 to 20 minutes, according to Joe's research. 

When users abandon content, Joe questions the widely held belief that listeners and viewers have a short attention span.

Joe has a more existential conclusion: "If people abandon your content, then they probably don't like your content."

"People's attention spans are short when they don't care about your content," Joe notes.

Joe then asserts that podcasters can effectively leverage short-form content. 

"Podcast episodes can be less than five minutes," Joe says. "Daily short podcasts are increasing in number and popularity."

To prove his point, Joe's episode length on this podcast is less than six minutes.

Take, for example, a new short-form podcast, "Arielle and Ned's Daily Tips That May Or May Not Help You."

 Hosted by the dynamic duo of Arielle Nissenblatt and Ned Donovan, the show -- launched on December 4th -- is an entertaining and informative daily escape, covering an eclectic range of tips that touch on various aspects of life. From personal hygiene and car maintenance to uncovering the best music gems and mastering the art of waking up early, Arielle and Ned explore it all.

This daily tip podcast is often less than two minutes but offers information-dense content in that short time frame. So far, topics include how to iron your shirt, fantasy football waivers, being thanked, (Don't respond with "no problem", but "you're welcome") and email hygiene.

The simple beauty of the podcast format is that an episode runtime is flexible. It should not expand to meet some outdated expectations that longer content is, by its nature, more valuable. 

And it should not be artificially shortened because the podcasters assume that listeners' attention spans are too short to absorb anything longer. 

For aspirational and growth-oriented podcasters, listen to Podcast Workflows. As Joe Casabona says in the show's opening: "You get daily tips to improve your process, grow your show, and maybe even make some money."