They Stole Your Attention

Trillion-dollar machines compete for your next 47 seconds. Here are the logs.

Seconds of attention on one screen before switching

Logged screen focus, knowledge workers & students · Gloria Mark, UC Irvine

data table

| year | avg seconds |
|---|---|
| 2004 | ~150 |
| 2012 | 75 |
| 2016 | 47 (median 40) |
| 2025 | 47, reaffirmed (replications 44–50) |

Measured by unobtrusive computer logging, workplace and home. The famous “goldfish attention span” stat is folklore; these are logged durations. The 2025 column marks Mark's January 2025 reaffirmation: the average has held at 47 seconds since ~2016, a steady state. Whisker shows the 40–50s band across the median and independent replications. After a diversion from an active task, re-immersion takes about 25 minutes.

The interruption tax

Focus interval vs cost to re-immerse · Gloria Mark, UC Irvine

data table

| quantity | time |
|---|---|
| avg focus on one screen | 47 s |
| re-immersion after a switch | 25 min 26 s |

Each switch is cheap for the feed and expensive for the switched. One 47-second loss costs a 25-minute recovery: a 32× asymmetry, and the asymmetry is the business model.

An 8-hour day, one tick per interruption

Microsoft 365 telemetry, 2025 · most-pinged 20% of workers

data table

| metric | value |
|---|---|
| interruption cadence, core hours | every 2 min |
| interruptions per 24h | 275 |
| emails received/day (typical) | 117 |
| emails read in under 15s | 85% |

Rolling 28-day Microsoft 365 telemetry ending Feb 2025, top 20% of users by ping volume: meeting invites, emails and chats land every 2 minutes across the 9–5. Set against the chart above: the recovery time from one interruption contains the next twelve.

What one year of your attention sells for

Meta ad revenue per user, US & Canada, $/year · company filings

data table

| year | $/user |
|---|

Annual average revenue per user, US & Canada segment, compiled from Meta quarterly filings. Meta moved the denominator from Facebook-only users to Family of Apps users in 2021; historical figures were restated. Full-year 2025 worldwide figure: $57.03 per user, an all-time high.

Chart & stat sources: Gloria Mark, APA interview · Univ. of California · Common Sense Media, Constant Companion (2023) · Sensor Tower, State of Mobile 2026 · Microsoft WorkLab, Infinite Workday (2025) · Meta investor relations

The Verdict

Your attention is the most valuable thing you own. Trillion-dollar machines bid for it every 47 seconds. Guard the input. The output follows.

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