How Does Journalism Function in a Society With Limited Attention Spans?

Time to read

9–13 minutes

TL;DR

The retention of audience interest in a world that thrives on fast-paced content and clicks is difficult to maintain.

Strategies that have been used to drive engagement have often led to the sacrifice of journalistic integrity.

The pressure to keep viewership has caused traditional journalistic standards to become less important. Media production tactics have also been affected to cater to short-form content.

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Journalism operates in a world where information is abundant, but attention spans are increasingly fragmented. Constant access to media through technology has influenced the already saturated and competitive nature of the media industry. News outlets aim to capture and retain the attention of audiences who are already consistently overwhelmed by content. Ranging from global tragedies to the mundane events of everyday life. Additionally, individuals have, in recent years, become accustomed to bite-sized, short-form content. 

This report aims to examine the functionality of journalism in a society that depends on quick headlines. It does so by exploring the challenges, strategies, and ethical considerations within the industry.

Over the past two decades, journalism has been profoundly shaped by digital platforms and the changing behavior of audiences. Overall, the systems surrounding the production and distribution of content have changed. This change is due to demand and the cyclical nature of trends within media.

The subsequent issues that have been selected are; content overload, social media for journalism and clickbait.

Content Overload:
According to Kohut et al. (2008, p.31) the amount of news consumed by individuals heavily impacts the enjoyment of news media.
This means that as users interact more with information, enjoyment becomes limited due to desensitisation. The overexposure of negative news headlines around the world creates a phenomenon where the emotional reaction becomes disconnected. This occurs when individuals are consistently showed fatalities and disasters. (Scharrer, 2024, p.302). 

Social media and Journalism: 
Social media has reshaped the output of journalism and news. The rise of social media requires outlets to produce information 24/7. Social media as a way of content distribution allows for continuous updates.

Additionally, it should be mentioned that news organisations have implemented strategies to gain attention on social media. This alters the definition of ‘journalistic content’ (Meier et al. 2024, p.164). As social media usage continues to grow, news outlets must adapt to the flow and distribution of content. They need to adapt even if the attention of the users is short-lived.

Clickbait:
Clickbait is the act of bringing in viewership by sensationalising content. This can be done by using attention-grabbing headlines which bait the user into interacting with posts. Using social media as an avenue to receive news is increasingly popular. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter (now X), and WhatsApp are used to read and access news articles. In addition to this, news networks heavily track trends and emphasise the importance being able to share information. As posts and publications “go viral” they viewership grows and allows for the content creator to gain traction. In the case of news organisations, the focus would be on creating shareable content (Bazaco, Redondo and Sánchez-García, 2019, p.95). The use of these dramatic headlines to drive traffic calls on the ethical implications of using assumption to increase clicks.

News outlets increasingly rely on social media channels to promote and distribute content at a global scale. The use of ethically grey tactics to drive traffic raises concerns about the core principles of journalism. This can lead to lasting effects of public opinion.

In the pursuit of retaining the attention of a public in an information-saturated world; eye-catching headlines and provocative content is used to attract interaction. The emphasis on quick consumption over comprehensive analysis has created a challenging environment for trustworthy and accurate journalism. 

1. Sensationalism and Clickbait:

In the race to capture attention, news outlets often resort to dramatizing headlines. While these tactics may increase short-term engagement, the ‘emotional inflation’ (Stewart, 2012, p.376)

could be similar to that of “yellow journalism”. This style of journalism reported exaggerated stories in order to sell more prints in the late 1890s (Spencer, 2007, p.4). 

Yellow journalism as a style of news reporting creates distrust in media. The exaggeration of facts or issues leads to misinformed audiences. Monetary incentive is the driving factor for these news organisations. Creating headlines which prey on the readers misconceptions of the world. According to Diez-Gracia et al. (2024) the use of misleading information within articles can be linked to the overall decline of journalism quality. Moreover, the reader does not always engage with the full article. Barely reading beyond the headline. 

2. Loss of Depth:  

The shift towards shorter, easier to digest news, comes at the expense of nuanced, in-depth reporting. Complex issues such as: climate change, global politics, and social justice require nuanced long-form journalism.
Slow journalism emphasises that the term “journalism” does not only include breaking news. The goal is to provide the audience with a broader understanding of issues that shape our society (Le Masurier 2014). Fast journalism can oversimplify important topics. When the focus shifts from comprehensive reporting to pumping out stories, the level of understanding and engagement plummets, this results in surface level engagement with journalistic content. 

Over time, there have been instances where a publication decides to create a bubble within the article. Through the implementation of immersive elements including audio clips, music, photographs provides the reader with further context. However, additons to the articles can create a loss of focus, and the engagement the author had aimed for, suffers. (Lassila-Merisalo 2014, p.6).

3. Misinformation and “Fake News”:

The fast pace of news production, driven by the need to attract attention quickly, increases the likelihood of errors. Additionally, the spread of misinformation is exacerbated by social media algorithms that prioritise engagement over accuracy. According to Mcnair (2017, p.55) there are several subcategories of “fake news” based on what the creator of the news stories aims achieve. Because of this, the intention of feeding false information into the public sphere, (in this case, via social media) heavily impacts the messaging.

There are also websites that promote satire commentaries of global events. Websites including ‘The Onion’ are known to be parodies of legitimate news sources. Within the context of its readers, the articles produced are harmless. However, when the mocking commentary gets posted on social media, users may not know to differentiate between fact and fiction.This further contributes to the virality of fake news. Due to the fact that generally, just headlines and cover photos are used on social media channels (Bernecker, Flowerree and Grundmann, 2021, p.249).

The rise of sensationalism, clickbait, and short-form media content reflects the broader pressures of the attention economy. While these tactics can succeed in grabbing short-term interest, they undermine the core principles of journalism. Outlined by MEAA (2017) the Code of Ethics includes honesty, fairness, independence and respect for the rights of others.

To address the challenges posed by limited attention spans while maintaining ethical standards, the following recommendations are made:

• 1. Reinforce Ethical Guidelines on Sensationalism:  

  News organizations must emphasise accuracy and truthfulness over sensational headlines. Media outlets should establish clear internal policies to avoid clickbait and misleading headlines that distort the content. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (2020, p.16-19) has put together a report which highlights key responsibilities of media organisations to combat fake news. The response to takes inspiration from approaches used across the globe to combat this issue. Including the EU Code of Practice and Disinformation, Taiwan Code and United Kingdom’s Harms White Paper.

• 2. Invest in Digital Literacy Programs:  

  Journalists and media organizations should promote digital literacy to help audiences critically assess news sources. Initiatives that teach readers to distinguish between reliable journalism and misinformation will empower users to make informed decisions about the news they consume. Currently, there are some interactive games that aim to teach young people how to spot and interact with fake news.

  Digital literacy programs can also mitigate the spread of misinformation and the impact of clickbait. ABC (n.d.) created a web-page specifically geared to sharing media literacy with young people. Adding the resources into the Australian curriculum so that education providers can teach the new generation these tactics.

• 3. Hybrid Formats for Depth and Engagement:  

  To balance the need for depth with the reality of limited attention spans, news organizations should experiment with hybrid formats. The use of interactive storytelling, podcasts and long-form videos can provide in-depth analysis while hopefully maintaining the attention of audiences. Including visuals to accompany written or spoken information provides the audience with further stimuli to create an immersive experience (Hill & Bradshaw 2018, p.126).

  Currently, with limitless access to content online. There is an “undeniable impact of short video consumption on attention span and academic performance among students,” (Asif & Kazi 2024). It is easy to understand why many struggle to understand complicated topics as the attention span has been significantly reduced.

• 4. Emphasize Slow Journalism:  

  As a counterbalance to the demand for constant news updates, some organisations should adopt a “slow journalism” model. Which allows for in-depth, thoroughly researched stories to be highlighted. 

  Taking time to create and promote such news stories can build audience trust over time. As well as provide readers with thoughtful, well-investigated journalism, rather than overwhelming them with continuous, rapid-fire news updates.

  There are new-age websites and blogs which aim to produce high-quality well thought out pieces. Offering content through a paywall allows for the organisations to focus on quality rather than sacrifice ideas for clicks and views. (Romero-Rodríguez, Tejedor and Castillo-Abdul, 2021, p.7)

  The recommendations above aim to establish further definitive answers to tackle the issues impacting the communications industry and the loss of attention spans. News outlets and organisations should aim to establish tactics within their framework to work towards a collective future with accessibility to accurate information. 

Journalism in a society with limited attention spans faces unique challenges, particularly the need to capture audience interest while maintaining journalistic integrity. The shift towards bite-sized, fast-paced content often leads to sensationalism, the oversimplification of complex issues, and the spread of misinformation. However, by adopting strategies that blend engagement with depth, promoting digital literacy, and advocating for transparency in how news is distributed, journalism can navigate these challenges while upholding ethical standards.

The adaptation of journalistic content to fit with the fluctuating needs of diverse audiences must not come at the compromise of truth, accuracy and diverse opinions within media. In a rapidly evolving media landscape journalists evolve with the advancement of technology, and a commitment to maintaining ethical standards is key to preserving the trust of audiences and the role of journalism within our society.