Trillion-dollar machines compete for your next 47 seconds. Here are the logs.
> the feed is gacha
> each post a crate
> addictive randomisation
> the ai targets your televised weakness
> it learns while you are unaware
> attention is valuable
> and as you know it's getting mined for revenue
> you work deeply, your mind is outcompeted
> your willpower dies
> the only winning move is not to play
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.
> UC Irvine has logged screen focus for twenty years
> 2004: two and a half minutes on one screen
> 2012: 75 seconds
> 2016: 47 seconds. median 40.
> 2025: still 47.
> the machine only has to win once every 47 seconds
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 |
Logged averages: 47 seconds of focus per screen; 25 minutes 26 seconds to fully re-immerse in the original task after a diversion.
> microsoft telemetry, 2025: the most-pinged fifth of workers eat an interruption every 2 minutes
> 117 emails a day. 85% skimmed in under 15 seconds.
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.
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.
> meta earned $17 per north american user in 2011
> $233 in 2024. 13x in 13 years.
> 2025 worldwide: $57 a head, an all-time high
> teens: median 237 notifications a day. a quarter land during school hours.
> humanity spent 5.3 trillion hours inside apps in 2025
5.3Thours in apps, 2025 (Sensor Tower)
3.6havg time in apps per user per day, 2025
237median daily notifications, US teens (Common Sense, 2023)
~25minto re-immerse in a task after a diversion (Mark, UC Irvine)
275daily interruptions for the most-pinged 20% of workers (Microsoft 365 telemetry, 2025)
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
Phone in another room. Feeds off the work machine. Keep blocks of hours no ping can reach.
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