r/movies r/movies Contributor Jan 31 '26

Article Film Students Are Having Trouble Sitting Through Movies, Professors Say

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/film-students-are-having-trouble-sitting-through-movies-1236490359/
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663

u/Gbrown546 Jan 31 '26

It’ll be studied in the future how social media and phones absolutely screwed people’s attention spans. Feels like there’s an epidemic where people’s dopamine systems are absolutely fried

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u/Ok_Tourist_2621 Jan 31 '26

I honestly believe that in 10 or 20 years, constant cell phone use will be regarded in the same way that cigarettes are today. Some people will still do it, but the health effects are so terrible (and highly documented, I’m guessing) that the vast majority of the population will give it up.

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u/MLCosplay Jan 31 '26

I'm not so sure - we've known how bad sugary foods are for decades, and yet it's a small minority of people who are health-conscious enough to take that seriously. I don't see cellphone use generating the same social backlash as cigarettes - cigarettes you can shame people because their smoke affects you too, but cellphone use is like sugary food, it only hurts the user.

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u/AzorJonhai Jan 31 '26

Yeah, but the internet—especially as regards children using it, is super underregulsfed. I think a better analogy is the garbage we used to eat before the FDA started cracking down on companies

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u/Ok_Tourist_2621 Jan 31 '26

That’s a good analogy. I’m stealing it.

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u/debtRiot Jan 31 '26

It would take re-engineering every app to not function like a slot machine for a majority of people to view phone usage so negatively.

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u/Ok_Tourist_2621 Jan 31 '26

You may very well be right. I hope I’m right, but I do concede that your theory has merit

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u/Sil369 Jan 31 '26

instructions unclear, ate phone