The attention span assumption
A pervasive assumption about digital media is that young people will only consume information in rapid, bite-sized clips. The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism finds that 52 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds watching news videos on YouTube watch videos longer than five minutes weekly, compared to 41 percent of users aged 55 and over.
In fact, older demographics demonstrate a stronger preference for brevity. The Reuters Institute finds that older people on YouTube are more likely than younger people to watch short news videos.
Platform architecture
The format of the content consumed depends heavily on the architecture of the platform itself. The Reuters Institute notes that 55 percent of news video watchers on TikTok consume short videos under two minutes in length.
YouTube retains a distinct profile that encourages extended viewing. The Reuters Institute finds that 23 percent of YouTube news video watchers view videos longer than 20 minutes weekly.
Source institutions：Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
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