Imagine the perfect evening: at the end of a long day, you come home ready to watch an episode of your favorite show. A favorite drink is poured and you curl up on your couch, at peace in your solitude. A few clicks of the remote, and you see the familiar blocky letters of Netflix appear from the darkness of the television screen.
With a sigh of contentment, you . . . pull out your phone and check your Instagram feed, beginning an hour-long scroll.
Sound familiar? Turns out, “second screening” is an established practice for many. In fact, 55% of Americans admit to the practice while watching TV “very” or “fairly” often.
Though the underlying behavior of multitasking is much older, doing so with a smaller device became widely recognized and commercialized around 2012-2013, driven by the rise of smartphones and social media. CBS utilized this during the 2013 Super Bowl, providing live stats and social feeds for viewers to interact with while watching the game.
While decreasing attention spans from short-form media platforms like TikTok have been a factor in the rise of second-screen viewing—around 50% of TikTok users say videos longer than 60 seconds are “stressful”—it’s not the only cause.
The enduring presence of American “hustle-culture”, for example, has continued to the second-screen phenomenon. This constant pressure to be productive and occupied even during periods of rest and relaxation can be seen in the 22% of adults aged 55+ who have admitted to checking emails and texts during their time in front of a big screen.
In terms of psychology, second-screen viewing may feel comforting or productive, but it often decreases focus, factual recall and attention span due to increased cognitive load and constant task-switching. Potentially worsening stress and leading to information overload, while also causing physical issues like eye strain and neck pain. It creates a feeling of multitasking, but actually fragments attention, which can negatively impact emotional regulation and deep thinking.
Next is the issue of cinema quality. You may have noticed that certain television shows are becoming simpler, seemingly done in order to hold viewers’ decreasing attention spans. The sci-fi show Stranger Things, for example, has been the primary subject of this discourse for its high-expositional dialogue in its latest 5th season.
Overall, the second-screen phenomenon holds weight in the future of cinema and brain development. Will there be a deeper divide between casual/background content? Will our ability to concentrate drastically worsen within the next decade? Only time will tell.
