May 8, 2025
Everything is faster, shorter, more instant than it used to be and it’s starting to show. In how we consume music, how we engage with stories, and how we connect. People joke about attention spans getting shorter, but it’s not just a concept anymore. It’s a cultural recalibration with real consequences. Individuals are challenged daily to maintain focus in a highly distracting digital environment.
It’s become common for music to jump straight to the hook. Seven-minute tracks are rare, albums are fragmented into singles optimised for algorithms. In film, features are overshadowed by 30-minute episodes or 15-second teasers for episodes. It’s not just that we’re busy. It’s that our tolerance for waiting has changed. We expect things to grab us, fast.
We see it play out every time someone puts on a movie, and ten minutes in, the phones come out. Even if the story is strong, the constant dopamine drip we’ve been trained to expect can overpower even the best storytelling. That little swipe is not just a habit anymore, it’s a signal of deeper rewiring.
Social media has conditioned us to chase quick hits; instant laughs, instant reactions, instant information. And while that’s helped make content more democratic and creativity more accessible, we’re also starting to feel the side effects. Especially in younger audiences.
Gen Z, the first generation raised fully in the scroll, are masters of the digital landscape. They’re savy, adaptable, and hyper-aware. But with that energy comes something silent. A rise in anxiety. A disconnection. A feeling that, even when you’re plugged into everything, you’re not truly present.
Studies show that teens spending over three hours a day on social media face a significantly higher risk of mental health issues. Three hours might sound like a lot, but in reality, it’s on the lower end. It’s not unusual for people to clock six, seven, even eight hours a day on their phones. And most of that time it’s spent on content that’s designed to be consumed, not engaged with. Fast, fleeting, forgettable.
So where does that leave brands?
We’re often told to meet people where they are. To adapt to their language. To follow their behaviour. But what if the smarter move is to challenge it? Not with lectures but with work that slows things down. That values depth over reach. Meaning over metrics.
Because if culture is serious business, then the attention crisis isn’t just a tech issue. It’s a human one. It shapes how we think, how we feel, how we relate. And in that world, every ad, every campaign, every post is a cultural input. A chance to contribute something of value… or just add to the noise.
At Hopeful Monsters, we believe everything communicates. Not just what you say, but how you say it. How fast it moves. What it asks of people. Whether it sparks reflection or just passes the time.
That doesn’t mean all work has to be slow and sombre. In fact, some of the most powerful work today uses humour, nostalgia, and visual punch to make people pause and feel something. Nostalgia, in particular, has become a powerful emotional tool.
We’re seeing a resurgence in early 2000s filters and fashion, 90s fonts, lo-fi sounds. Not just because they look cool, but because they remind people of a slower, more tactile world. A time of mixtapes, DVDs, physical photo albums. A time when content wasn’t endless and waiting wasn’t optional, it was part of the experience. Cultural theorist Svetlan Boym describes it: “nostalgia appears to be a longing for a place but is actually a yearning for a different time.”
Using nostalgia can be creative, however it can also be a trap too. It can keep us looking backward instead of moving forward. The key is to use it consciously not to escape the present, but to reimagine the future with the best parts of the past. To borrow the slowness, the simplicity, the intentionality without getting stuck in yesterday.
So how could brands help???
Start by asking a better question. Not “how do we win the algorithm?” but “how can we honour attention?” What if we didn’t just try to interrupt the scroll, but earn a pause? What if we gave people something that didn’t just fill a gap, but instead created a gap.
We’re not saying ditch digital. Digital is here, and it’s powerful. But it doesn’t have to mean disposable. It doesn’t have to mean shallow. It can be a force for clarity, for connection, for resetting the pace even if just for a few seconds.
Because in a world that’s constantly speeding up, the most radical thing we can do might just be slowing down. Respecting time. Respecting the audience. Creating things that mean something, not just fill something.
Because attention is currency. But meaning is wealth.
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health
https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/social-media-teen-mental-health-a-parents-guide
https://omarrr.com/we-need-less-content-marketing-and-more-meaningful-marketing
