The Art of Brevity

In a 2023 episode of Speaking of Psychology, Gloria Mark, PhD, chancellor’s professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, shared decades of research on how technology impacts our attention, mood, and stress. Her findings confirm what many of us have suspected: our attention spans have been steadily declining over the past two decades.

• In 2004, the average attention span for online content was 2.5 minutes.

• By 2012, it dropped to 75 seconds.

• In 2023, it was down to 47 seconds, with a median of just 40 seconds.

For communicators, that reality carries a clear lesson: clarity and conciseness are no longer optional, they’re essential. Whether it’s a decrease in capacity or an increase in discernment, our audiences no longer have the patience for content that doesn’t capture them immediately.

At Clarity Channels Communications, the home of The EO Report, we have a favorite Blaise Pascal (or Mark Twain, there’s some debate) observation that we frequently point to: “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” Writing with brevity takes effort. It requires trimming excess words, sharpening key ideas, and presenting them in a way that makes every second of attention worthwhile.

That doesn’t mean long-form content is dead. People still commit to three-hour podcasts or detailed articles, but only when the content delivers consistent value. Even in long formats, audiences need momentum, purpose, and a reason to stay engaged.

Whether you’re writing a social post or a full report, the goal remains the same: share as much useful information as possible, as clearly as possible, in the fewest number of words possible.

Brevity isn’t about cutting corners, especially with our current attention economy. It’s about focus and value.