The slow disappearance of deep thinking in a hyperconnected digital world

While there’s no single factor to be blamed for our increasingly deplorable attention spans, it can have adverse effects on our personal and professional lives in the long run. We talk to experts for an in-depth understanding 

Your brain was never designed for this level of overstimulation. And yet, here we are—trapped in an economy that profits from our shrinking focus. Every scroll, every refresh, every notification is engineered to keep you engaged just a little longer. Your attention span is not just slipping—it’s being stolen.  

Think about this: You pick up your phone to check on one notification. Without realising, it’s been 20 minutes and you’ve cycled through Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Reddit and back again, like a hamster on a digital wheel. That momentary hit of dopamine? It’s exactly what social media companies are banking on. This isn’t about being easily distracted. Our ability to focus on a single task has plummeted in the last two decades. “The inattention crisis is very alarming—it prevents us from doing deep work, worsens our memory, and reduces productivity,” shares Hansika Kapoor, a psychologist at Monk Prayogshala. 

There isn’t one single culprit behind this crisis, but its long-term impact on both personal and professional lives is undeniable. Some experts argue that focus isn’t being lost—it’s simply being conditioned to process information differently. Others believe that factors like the rise of short-form content, hustle culture, and hyper-connectivity are rewiring the brain in ways not yet fully understood.

Either way, one thing is certain: the modern attention-deficit economy thrives on distraction, turning human focus into a commodity.

Are digital screens the only culprits?

“I was decently focused in terms of my attention span from my school days until the lockdown. However, post-COVID, this completely changed, and I subconsciously began engaging in ‘doomscrolling,’” begins Diya Kapadia, a PR professional. “What started as a mindless way to kill time during the lockdown eventually became a seemingly irreversible habit.” Ritika Shah, an educator and founder of Fable Street, a speech and drama institute for children, agrees: “During the pandemic, almost two years of learning shifted online, profusely affecting the attention spans of learners. So if we were conducting two activities in one hour earlier, we have doubled it now to ensure there’s some kind of change every 10 minutes, to keep them [the children] engaged.” 

Psychologist Sanam Devidasani explains that the brain is  wired for novelty, with dopamine, the ‘reward chemical,’ spiking when encountering something new. “Digital platforms exploit this by keeping us in constant anticipation mode, making it harder to focus on boring but meaningful tasks. Over time, this rewires the brain to crave quick hits of stimulation instead of sustained focus.”

According to a 2017 report, 41 million people in India—or one in ten  individuals—were digitally hyperconnected consumers. This number has likely skyrocketed. Underscoring India’s mobile penetration, a 2024 report revealed that there are 81 mobile connections for every 100 Indians. Thanks to the explosion of snackable content on social media platforms, the instinct to check notifications has become second nature to most of us. Hours can unknowingly disappear scrolling through Reels on Instagram—without a single moment of boredom.

But is screen addiction the only reason attention spans have nosedived? Experts don’t think so. 

“Although it may be easy to blame digital media and screen time for the same,” says Kapoor, “we are probably inundated with information, constantly connected to others, and are unable to switch off, staying in an active frame of mind much beyond what we may be comfortable with.” 

Not just that—hustle culture has played a role too. “We live in a time that rewards urgency over depth, speed over reflection, and stimulation over stillness. Work is demanding more out of us, social media is engineered to keep us hooked, and we’re conditioned to feel guilty for slowing down and taking a break—something so basic for our well-being,” says Devidasani. “Every free moment is filled—scrolling through our phones, listening to something, or staying ‘busy’ just to avoid feeling unproductive.” 

Extreme stress can significantly reduce attention spans, points out Sheena Sood, consultant, Psychology, at PD Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. “High levels of performance anxiety, given the competition of having the best personal and professional life, and a lack of sleep also impacts attention span. If you’re not well-rested, you’re energy-deprived, making the ability to focus a challenge.” 

But sleep deprivation—or ‘sleep debt’ as it is often termed—has become increasingly common these days. Actor, content creator and podcaster Naina Bhan, who admits to struggling with attention spans both personally and professionally, says, “I feel overstimulated and can’t focus at all. Not only do I see dipping attention spans as a challenge for my content and podcasts, but I also feel a drop in my serotonin levels when I’m doomscrolling in the night. I feel fried and wake up feeling hungover.”

Have dwindling attention spans taught us multi-tasking or damaged cognitive skills?

Going through emails while playing a podcast in the background, decluttering your wardrobe while catching up with a friend on the phone, browsing your Instagram while watching a movie, or attending meetings as you drive to work all seem like the perfect skills of a pro-multitasker. But is that really the case?

From a cognitive perspective, there is no such thing as multitasking, cites Kapoor. “You could be task-switching, or moving rapidly from one task to another, but the human brain is pretty bad at doing two things at once. Background noise, such as a podcast playing when you’re trying to write an article, may give the illusion of productivity, but is, in fact, quite distracting.” Devidasani adds, “When we’re task-switching, our attention is constantly being pulled in different directions, leading to shallow engagement with everything we’re consuming. Over time, this weakens our ability to concentrate deeply on one thing at a time, making sustained focus feel increasingly difficult.” 

At first, multitasking seems like the pinnacle of efficiency and productivity. In reality, it’s counterproductive as it overlooks the ‘cost-switch effect’. Writing an email  while intermittently scrolling through Reels doesn’t just consume time in short bursts—it also takes additional time to refocus. By the end of the day, more time is spent switching between tasks than actually completing them, ultimately weakening one’s cognitive skills. Needless to say, this comes with severe consequences. 

Chronic distraction weakens neural pathways in the brain for sustained attention, says Devidasani. “The prefrontal cortex, responsible for deep thinking and impulse control, becomes less dominant, while the limbic system, which drives emotion and instant gratification, takes over. At work, we multitask, but our thinking becomes fragmented. Creativity and deep problem-solving suffer because great ideas come from focused, uninterrupted thought.” 

Sood, however, believes that multitasking itself isn’t the real villain; rather the inability to do so with full concentration is. “Multitasking is not bad if you are doing a good job at it. But in the case of someone who is badly multitasking with none [of the tasks] being fulfilled, then yes, they are unable to concentrate—and the latter is much more prevalent in today’s day and age.”

The cognitive effects of digital distractions 

Beyond poor productivity and distraction, a lesser-known consequence is the impact on cognitive development, particularly in children, highlights Archana Singhal, a family therapist and founder, Mindwel Counsel. 

Madhunanadan Poojary, a biology professor with over 13 years of experience, explains, “The way entertainment and even education are structured today prioritises speed, interactivity, and constant stimulation, making it harder for students to tolerate slower, more in-depth learning processes. With social media, Reels, and instant access to online content, their brains are wired for quick bursts of engagement rather than sustained focus. In the long run, declining attention spans could pose a major threat to critical thinking, creativity, and deep learning. Students may become more reliant on quick, surface-level information rather than developing the patience to analyse complex ideas. This could lead to weaker problem-solving skills and a diminished ability to engage in meaningful discussions.”

Shah adds, “Today, there are more working parents than before, which means they sign up their kids at various activity classes to keep them engaged, so they’re never really bored.” 

Additionally, approximately 95 per cent of teenagers across the globe own a smartphone today. “Kids’ screen time is increasing at a worrying rate, and they’re mostly consuming bite-sized content, further fuelling the inattention,” says Shah. 

Could your crashing attention span jeopardise your relationships too?

The inability to concentrate is not the only casualty of dwindling attention spans—relationships are at a risk too. How often do conversations get interrupted by a quick glance at the screen? It’s an instinctive habit, but one that can leave the other person feeling unseen or unheard. 

“We’re talking more than ever, but listening less, making our connections feel transactional rather than meaningful,” says Devidasani. “Many people struggle to sit with discomfort, turning to screens as an escape from unresolved emotions rather than confronting them. When we’re half-present in conversations or shared experiences, we lose the depth of connection that comes from truly paying attention. While it feels like we’re doing more, we’re engaging less, both with our surroundings and with ourselves.”

According to experts, low attention spans have been linked to mental health concerns like anxiety, stress, and depression. Deteriorating mental health in one partner can affect a relationship as a whole. “Dropped attention span can lead to stress as many tasks are taken up but none are getting done, with no consistency and structure. This could also lead to a work-life imbalance and, thus, impact relationships. If you’re putting more effort into tasks but getting less out of it, it can also build up frustration and helplessness, which can easily flow into your relationships,” explains Sood.

The ability to enjoy one’s own company is perhaps the most overlooked aspect to fostering meaningful relationships. When stimulation becomes a defence against discomfort—whether that’s loneliness, unresolved emotions or just boredom—“you’re not just losing attention, you’re also losing the ability to sit with yourself,” says Devidasani. “We’ve been conditioned to believe that ‘doing nothing’ is a waste of time but, in reality, discomfort in stillness is a sign of disconnection from ourselves.” 

Kapoor also warns that this constant distraction could make people emotionally reactive rather than responsive—a red flag in relationships. And, while the effects of shortened  attention spans are widely discussed, the physical repercussions are often overlooked. “Chronic digital overstimulation affects our nervous system, keeping us in a state of hyperarousal that disrupts rest, increases cortisol levels, and weakens overall well-being,” shares Devidasani. “Over time, this can contribute to fatigue, weakened immunity, and even long-term health issues like cardiovascular problems or metabolic disorders.”

So, realistically, can you improve your attention span?

Roughly 60 per cent of Indian shoppers abandon a website or app if it buffers for more than 10 seconds. Some argue that the narrative around crashing human attention spans was manufactured to serve the capitalist interest of tech platforms. However, today, brand strategists, content creators, and businesses are actively competing for a user’s fleeting focus. 

“While the people tuning into a podcast have primed themselves for a long-form piece of content, we do realise that people are [engaging in] ‘secondary listening’; we’re cognisant that it is being heard and/or seen while someone is getting ready or doing chores, and so we don’t hold the information very close to our chest. The bigger struggle is with short-form content,” says Bhan. “But then, I, myself, am chronically online. My algorithm is perfectly curated to all my personas and keeps me scarily engaged. My patience with reading, writing or watching independent cinema has dipped.” 

Bhan compares doomscrolling to alcoholism or drug addiction—the more you consume it, the less it affects you, yet the craving for wanting more only intensifies. Her perspective underscores that addressing inattention requires both an internal discipline and external awareness. In an ideal world, stricter regulations—such as Australia’s recent social media  ban for children under 16 years of age—would help curb the attention crisis. But since it is a far-fetched reality, experts recommend  self-regulation strategies. 

Limiting one’s screen time is an important step, but improving attention spans requires a more holistic approach, says Singhal. “Practising mindfulness and meditation can help train the brain to focus. Engaging in activities that require sustained concentration, such as reading or puzzle-solving, can also improve focus. Adopting a more intentional approach to task management—breaking tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks, and taking breaks to refresh the brain—is another strategy.”

Devidasani recommends setting tech boundaries with all your devices, and instead consider journaling, creating intentional silence, and fostering deeper offline connections. A healthy diet and sleep schedule also play a role, adds Sood. While digital content isn’t going anywhere, making mindful choices about consumption is important. For instance, Kapadia consciously shifted to long-form podcasts and in-depth articles over quick-hit content—a small but effective step towards reclaiming focus. 

We’re at the tipping point of losing it all—to the digital and socio-cultural systems built around us. But there is still a window for reclamation. Our well-being is crying out for attention, but will our shrinking attention spans allow us to listen?

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