The trend of the quick read — do readers crave more content?

True or false? Humans have a lesser attention span than a goldfish.

The media has popularised this as truth. But this is snakeskin oil, traded as a scare-tactic in the face of rising social media and internet use. Much like the advent of printed books or radio, any innovation that newly captures our attention in an all-engrossing way is considered a distraction.