Building A Better Attention Span

In the most recent of my sketch comedy writing sessions, an apparent fault has appeared in my work. We have just gotten to sharing scripts based on the outlines shared previously. At that time, a number of tweaks promised to enhance my two projects. Those benefits look as if they will indeed be realized, but a problem looms nonetheless in the overly-long and loose nature of the scripts. As they say, brevity is the soul of wit, and my scripts are not as brief as they can be while still getting the job done (You can expect a post on that soon enough).

This had me thinking about attention spans. I don't reject the wisdom of confining myself to a script which yields two to three minutes of screen time in this case. They can be really good under those conditions- maybe as good as they can be under any conditions. I maintain that they could be as good and possibly even better if granted the space for a greater scope. This at least would be the case if the computer desk-bound entertainment seeker could be relied upon to pay attention for longer than three minutes. Why can't he (or at least why isn't he)?

I don't believe it's anything biologically programmed into the brain, but it does have to do with the brain. I believe that organ adapts itself to the nature of stimuli both aggressively and effectively. That means that if it's given three minute videos, it limits its ability to that capacity and re-dedicates excess resources elsewhere.  It's a process which to me resembles that which the stomach undergoes. When the stomach receives little or no nourishment, it shrinks. When it is fed increasingly larger amounts, it gradually expands. So it can be with the brain.

I suppose it's not so simple. I have observed that people do sit still for movies, and for television programs which contain segments nearly 10 minutes long. How is that discrepancy reconciled? Do more factors come into play apart from attention spans? Do viewer fear a boss or judgmental spouse catching them in the act? Do they simply require evidence early on that an online piece is worth investing more than three minutes of their time in, or does the nature of the medium cap it at that (suggesting that the slightly more expansive stories I lean to are destined for another medium)? Like Tom Joad at the conclusion of 'The Grapes Of Wrath', I shall roam the land in search of the answers.