Attention spans are shrinking, stories are getting shorter, and somewhere along the line, the mule stopped kicking at all. Welcome to the age of the scroll—where dopamine wins and depth loses.
Neuroscientists have found that constant digital multitasking reduces gray matter density in the brain’s anterior cingulate cortex—the part responsible for empathy and decision-making. That means the more we scroll, swipe, and jump between dopamine hits, the harder it becomes to focus, reflect, or connect emotionally.
Every flick of the thumb trains your brain to chase dopamine, not depth. And after a thousand jump cuts, you’re not just losing time—you’re losing your attention span, your emotional range… maybe even your manners.
Remember when you used to finish songs, books, conversations? **For You? Or Forgetting You?** And get this—numerous studies confirm that most Millennials and Gen Zers actively avoid making phone calls. Surveys indicate that nearly 70% of young adults prefer texting or messaging over talking on the phone, and approximately a quarter of individuals aged 18–34 admit they rarely, if ever, answer voice calls anymore. This shift isn’t merely about convenience; it’s deeply rooted in the anxiety associated with real-time conversations. Experts have observed a rise in ‘phone call anxiety’ among Gen Z, with some studies reporting that about 90% of Gen Z respondents feel nervous about talking on the phone. The unpredictability of live conversations, fear of miscommunication, and the inability to edit responses contribute to this discomfort.
As a result, many young individuals opt for textbased communication, which allows for more control and less immediate pressure.
A whole generation would rather text ‘U OK?’ than actually hear someone say ‘I’m not.’ They want their emotions in 15-second increments or less—same as their coffee tutorials.
It’s not just attention spans at stake—it’s emotional literacy. Studies show long-form content boosts memory retention, emotional regulation, and empathy. You don’t get that from a 6-second fail video. You get it from sitting with something. Wrestling with it.
Out here in Western Oklahoma, we know a good story when we hear one—and it don’t come in 15-second chunks. My uncle once told a yarn about a mule, a windmill, and a lightning strike that took him 30 minutes and three cups of coffee to get through. And guess what? We all sat and listened—because that’s how stories stick. That’s how you learn what matters.
“I asked my students to listen to a podcast longer than 10 minutes, and they looked at me like I was assigning war crimes,” said one local teacher. “They’re good kids, but they’ve been trained to expect punchlines, not patience.”
You don’t fast-forward through the part where the mule kicks the deputy. You lean in.
Out here, we don’t build character in Tik-Tok clips. We build it the way we’ve always done— over fence posts, family dinners, slow walks, and Sundays that don’t rush. Real life has a rhythm. And it’s not 1.5x speed.
So if your brain’s been feeling scrambled, maybe it’s time to unplug, slow down, and remember what it feels like to get lost in a real story—start to finish.
So here’s your challenge this week: Pick one long thing. A book. A movie without your phone. A phone call with someone who deserves more than a text. Just one. Let it stretch you a little. Let it remind you that depth is something we practice— not something that arrives in your feed.
