Recently, I came across a conversation with actor, screenwriter and producer Matt Damon that I found very curious and revealing. Netflix had asked him not to develop the plot of the films as he had done before, revealing it little by little. They told him that the plot now had to be explained and verbalised for the viewer, with an intense action scene in the first five minutes to hook the viewer from the outset, not to mention the 'friendly reminders' to ensure that nobody gets lost. Many people today watch films while looking at their mobile phones (the famous 'multitasking').
This might seem an insignificant anecdote, but what it points out is huge: our attention spans are changing, as are our ways of telling and consuming stories.
For years, cinema and advertising relied on viewers' ability to observe, interpret and fill in the gaps. Silence, ambiguity and ellipsis were all part of the experience. Viewers needed to be present and attentive in order to perform their own analytical exercise based on what they observed or read.
The context today is different; we live in the middle of the attention economy. As Herbert Simon, who won the Nobel Prize in Economics, anticipated in the early 1970s, when information multiplies, attention becomes scarce rather than content. We are bombarded with notifications, multitasking, simultaneous screens and constant stimuli. Our attention is no longer continuous; it is fragmented.
In this environment, maintaining a complex narrative requires effort that we are often unwilling or unable to make. This is not due to a lack of capacity, but rather due to saturation. And as usual, it's the stories that adapt to the new reality.
This is why there are more and more stories that explain what happens, characters characters verbalise their feelings and plots that make sure not to lose the viewer at any time. It's a response to a context in which content can lose the attention of its audience at any moment.
In this context, I was struck by the question of whether the new generations are losing their analytical capacity. How is technology and its use affecting young people? Even though there are theories suggesting that Gen Z and Alpha are reversing the 'Flynn Effect' (the idea that every new generation has a higher IQ than their parents, which has been debated since the 20th century), I believe that we are actually witnessing a reconfiguration of cognitive skills rather than a decline. Perhaps we must also take into account the fact that traditional IQ tests do not capture new digital navigation skills.
Those who have grown up in a digital environment do not analyse less; they analyse differently. They are accustomed to processing multiple stimuli, interpreting visual cues swiftly, connecting ideas in an associative manner and filtering information in overloaded contexts. Young people tend to cross-reference data from various sources simultaneously, a technique known as 'hypercognition'. However, it has also been found that they pay less attention to sustained, deep and linear tasks.
It's not a deficit; it's a change.
The internet and technology are changing the way we think, read and look, and even how we experience excitement. This has a direct impact on how stories are constructed, from cinema to brand communication.
For brands, this context poses a complex challenge. Simplifying should not mean impoverishing. When telling a story, the potential for emotion and meaning should not be lost, and above all, the brand's authenticity should never be compromised. Today's communication strikes a balance between simplicity, to avoid getting lost, and suggestiveness, to avoid forgetting. While clarity is important, it's also crucial to remember that personality is what really leaves a lasting impression.
In this exercise of 'making themselves understood faster and more effectively', market research is essential for understanding the target audience: how they live, what they feel, what excites them and the language they use. Research helps to simplify complexity, not only by measuring behaviours, but also by interpreting contexts. In a society trying to adapt to a faster, more fragmented and more demanding world, it is also a challenge to identify how people relate to content, technology and the stories they consume. Brands can connect more authentically with people by understanding this reality without prejudice or nostalgia.
Armed with this deep understanding, brands can decide when to simplify, when to delve deeper, how to communicate with their audience and which values to connect with. In short, they can learn how to remain relevant in contexts where care has become a highly valuable commodity.
Alberto Plazas
Account Director
