AYSW? | From Scrolls to Screens: A Freshman’s Quest for an Attention Span
I’ve always been notoriously bad at sticking with long-form media. Television shows and films have to capture my attention within the first 20 minutes, and I have even less patience when it comes to YouTube videos. That being said, I’ve recently been on a mission to reduce my scrolling time, so I thought I’d increase my attention span by turning to TV. It’s been a trying journey, and many series have been cut from my coveted “Continue Watching” collection, but here are a few that survived the test.
Severance
My biggest pet peeve regarding new shows is a slow start. If I have to drudge through the pilot — it’s simply not happening. Severance had me intrigued from the outset, which is largely the reason why it escaped the chopping block. I’m also a sucker for a unique soundtrack, established color schemes and hidden symbols: all of which this Apple TV series is full of. The lack of dialogue and often slow plot progression did sometimes challenge my goldfish-like attention span, but overall I was engaged and excited to start successive episodes. I honestly think this is one of the most unique series that I’ve seen in recent years, and I cannot recommend it enough for both avid TV-watchers and skeptics like myself. Severance makes me eager to see what comes next within this corporate thriller genre, it seems to have established itself.
Coachella Live Streams and Recaps
I’m a music festival enthusiast, so this is par for the course when festival season comes around. When the lineup was announced earlier this year and ticket prices dropped, it was easy to justify not going because of the insane costs and my lack of interest in the attending artists. However, when I turned on the livestream and commented on my friends’ Instagram posts, I was immediately overwhelmed by nostalgia and FOMO. I’ve rewatched Ravyn Lenae and Travis Scott’s performances multiple times simply because they’re some of my favorite artists, but acts like Lady Gaga and Mau P have captivated me even though I’m not a loyal fan of theirs. I’ve also discovered in these avid attempts to mitigate my FOMO that live performances provide the perfect background ambience while studying. They don’t require the same amount of attention a show would, but they’re also slightly more stimulating than the average tried-and-true Spotify playlist.
The Last of Us
With the newest episodes of the second season now streaming every Sunday, I’ve found myself more immersed in this show than I was when it was first released. I’m not usually a zombie superfan, but the dramatic plotline and insane special effects the series relies on distinguish it from other stories about the walking dead. There’s something about the way The Last of Us balances intimate character development with large-scale apocalyptic chaos that keeps me hooked week after week. The intensity maintained for each hour-long episode is admirable, although it does test my cardiovascular health. As a fan of the show, I’ve been left to question my own chances if a super-fungus were to take over the world. How long would I survive? Would I even last a week? Where would I shower? Could I ever be so silent for so long? All these queries bounce around in my head as I yell at the characters on screen for their poorly-reasoned choices.
“How to find the deadweight loss?”
A more niche entertainment choice, but a favorite nonetheless. As a potential pre-med freshman between majors and colleges, I feel like ECON 1110 is a rite of passage for the undecided. Honestly, I can’t recommend it more — it taught me that business and economics are absolutely the wrong path for me. That being said, my YouTube search history is flooded with the ever-present question; in the never-ending assortment of graphs formed by quotas, supply curves and tax revenues, where is the deadweight loss?
As my first year at Cornell comes to an end, I’ve realized just how much I’ve learned and grown in the short time I’ve spent here. I hope to leave my freshman year with just one more skill — the attention span necessary to stick with long-form media.
Mia Roman-Wilson is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at mromanwilson@cornellsun.com.
“Are You Still Watching?” is a column spotlighting what the Cornell community has been streaming. It runs every Wednesday.
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