So is most long form content but people still do it

It's clearly able to optimise short attention spans by simply becoming background noise whilst the user mobilises their attention elsewhere on other things simultaneously. Just because content has worked out how to cater to that doesn't mean suddenly attention spans aren't shorter than before

Yeah which means its designed to mobilise stimuli and attention as capital simultaneously alongside other forms of content? That doesn't really change what I've said

I'm not sure about that honestly. It just means content is geared towards cycling through short periods of focus over time. Nobody maintains attention for the whole 6 hour video essay instead it's a loop with other forms of content in which shorter attention span can rotate in and out imo

I used to think the same and it's right that shorter attention span doesn't mean a shortening of content. However those streams are designed to be done with multitasking in mind which means whilst you might watch the same thing for a long time it assumes often a roller background noise