The tyranny of the small screen

There is no denying the ubiquity of the small and not-so-small screen globally. The impression among those not fully committed to hand held devices is that the flock’s devotion to their phones and small tablets is total and impenetrable. The implication is that if the sender and creator of communications want the recipient to actually learn and retain the content sent, the device used is problematic.

This is a subset of the short form/ long form debate; and if I recall correctly there is substantial evidence of superior cognitive development and retention for the long form. My observation is more intense – I believe that the ‘portable learners’, while they have a right to their ‘quick reads’ miss out on a great deal that is not intended.  Not just the subject lines to communications, which are rarely used if not ignored, but the deep content and subsequent learning from articles and case studies and discussion which derive from the page. The hyperlink is a brilliant addition to articles, but only if used.

Hat’s off to the designers of digital pages and audio/visual applications which have certainly conquered the challenge of grabbing attention. Once you have the ‘portables’ attention, you have to go the next step.  I observed an individual following a webinar on their handheld device yesterday. Their behavior was laudable since they (almost) avoided multitasking during the 15 minute webinar. I am certain that the high level teaching points were recognized, but I doubt any deep thought or questioning ensued.

This is a conflict that those of us committed to learning are not going to win for many cohorts of the target audiences; so I suggest that we try to achieve victory in a few battles. Our audiences are intelligent, so they should be a) informed of the added benefit of long form concentration; b) they should be engaged so that there are questions and discussion; and c) most difficult would be a focused concentration of attention on the matters at hand – that really suggests a temporary halt to multitasking. Ironic that these suggestions are not just for ‘portables’, but for seminars as well.