The Internet and Attention

[TyredSoul]

This is not, I hope, a typical rant about the general degradation of the literacy of people because of the internet. Rather, I would like to discuss the attention people pay on the internet.

I have browsed these forums with some regularity, and I notice that the longer prose pieces here are often not commented on. I will admit that I do not get through some of the longer pieces myself. But that is precisely why I ask the question. I am, when so inclined, able to get through an entire novel in a day. And yet, even three or four pages of text on a computer screen and I am done for.

So, my question to you, the literary elite of Newgrounds, is:

Why are we so reluctant to keep our own attention on the internet?

Some corollaries:

Is it because the internet offers writing that is well below par?
Is it because the medium (on the screen versus on the page) makes us less likely to absorb the information?
Is it because the internet makes us all egoists and we have the intense desire to laud ourselves and be paid attention but do not want to return the gesture?

[Jessprw]

Reading on a computer monitor is a pain after awhile, I'd much rather have a hard-copy of the writing than spend an hour reading a wall of text on my computer screen.

[ZeeAk]

At 3/21/11 05:40 PM, TyredSoul wrote: Is it because the internet offers writing that is well below par?

More often than not, yes, that is the case. However, there are some phenomenal pieces here on Newgrounds that I'm genuinely proud to have read.

Is it because the medium (on the screen versus on the page) makes us less likely to absorb the information?

This is where it gets interesting. It is literally harder to read text on a computer screen than it is on a piece of printed paper. We also read 25% slower on a screen, and for a lot of people this is a turn-off, as they make some sort of sub-conscious connection between their diminished reading speed and their investment in the story.

Is it because the internet makes us all egoists and we have the intense desire to laud ourselves and be paid attention but do not want to return the gesture?

I think that's the majority case, but not all the time. I love giving critiques when I get the time, which, unfortunately in the case of me being the judge for the MWC, is not very often lately. Some users do, yes, just post their stories for admiration and ego-boosting replies. When they don't get such replies, they go on a huge tirade about why we 'don't understand' or 'don't appreciate' what they've written.

If you're going to post anything on Newgrounds, be prepared to cop some flak for it.

[DeftAndEvil]

I personally won't respond to longer pieces because it requires a larger investment. If I for some reason (by that I mean when, not if lol) decide I do not want to finish the work, I just hit backspace, unlike a short short story or a piece of poetry, where I just go "eh, just a few more lines." If I find that the longer work is sub-par for some reason, I state so but prelude with a statement explaining that I did not finish the piece, which usually offends the OP.

(Most of) the longer stories are very long-winded with no real direction. Then, with no replies, the OP continues to post which will most likely continue to overwhelm the audience. Look at a thread called the rendering. 20+ posts by one guy. It's a hopeless no-win situation. I hope Lit Portal can somehow correct that by giving the good longer stories some decent exposure.

[Enamour]

Personally I find it's because most of what I read is absolutely poop. But it's always a numbers game, I know a thing or twenty about literature and it's relatively easy to see when something is gonna fall flat.

Most amateur writers don't know how to develop an effective story structure. I mean there are basic devices a writer has at his disposal to keep a reader interested. The problem the OP is referring to is not unique or even more common to/on the internet; written stories are just much more accessable, this being the internet and all.

Back to the original point. Any reader loses interest very quickly, it's an innate attribute that we have. A well written story with a good story structure and decent pacing holds attention. Sadly many people on sites like this have barely ever even read books but feel that with enough creativity (or enough feeling... deep, dark, emo BS) they can write something that people would want to read. And those of us who are more interested in literature as a phenomenon tend to feel guilty when we cant get through something that was ignorantly written.

Like anything, writing requires knowledge first, then skill and then alot of practice. Don't want to get technical so I'll stop around here.

Personally I have this tendency to open 5 stories and close them one by one as I lose interest. Usually I go through about 20 before finding something 20 pages long that's readable. 1 in a hundred is a gem where the writer's lack of knowledge has been made up for with practice.

[EKublai]

I think the inability to format correctly is a factor. How am I supposed to read something without indentation or paragraph breaks?

[FUNKbrs]

I have to admit, a lot of stuff I see on here just lacks a damn hook that can get you past the first paragraph.

It's not fair to respond to a piece if you haven't read all of it, so if someone doesn't hook you early and reel you in fast and you lose interest, it's best not to reply.

[GamerGoddess360]

I find that people tend to be afraid to work hard and post actual work online for fear of the feedback. And, usually when they do put that much effort into a piece, they would much rather turn it into a book and work to get it published.

But yes, I wish I could find one writer from time to time who would like to refine their skill online...