In the great merry-go-round of contemporary communication, where everything competes not to be forgotten or ignored in the time of a scroll, the problem is no longer just "getting attention," but figuring out what can hold it. The average attention threshold today is measured in seconds, often less than the time it takes to open a notification or read a headline in full. This major shift has inevitably radically transformed the rules of the game for those in communications, public and media relations. 

We are not just talking about speed or synthesis, but the need to develop a new awareness of people's new content consumption habits and thus the importance of listening to others' attention.

According to a survey by AP News, in 2004 people could hold their attention on a screen for about 2 1/2 minutes. Today that time has dropped to 47 seconds. An impressive figure and a very clear message for relationship builders: every second counts, every opening must be thought of as a strategic entry point into the reader's or reader's life, every piece of content must know how to hold before it is even understood.

Adding to the complexity is what has been dubbed the "goldfish problem": according to Golden Steps ABA, the average human's attention span is 8.25 seconds, less than that of a goldfish. Our brains are constantly immersed in a stream of stimuli, sounds, content and visual messages that require instant evaluation: do I stop or move on? Is it worth my time or can I ignore it? Everything is played out in fractions of a second.

It is not a chase for visibility, but a chase for relevance

An average person receives between 4,000 and 10,000 advertising exposures per day (USC Annenberg), so the risk is no longer to be criticized or misunderstood. The real risk is not to be seen at all. Each message is immersed in an ocean of different and competing signals, and only those capable of eliciting an immediate and personal response manage to capture attention and begin to build a relationship with the reader/reader.

This brings us to a second change in perspective: communication is no longer a matter of purely publishing and then issuing a message, but of synchronizing that message with the user's needs. L

o demonstrates the increasing attention to the topic of "micro-moments," as he calls them Google: very brief moments when a person picks up the phone with a specific intent, often related to a need to be solved, an answer to be sought, information to be acquired. Being able to intercept those moments means not only being timely, but being in the right place at the moment when the interlocutor is most open to receive. In other words, true value is played on intentionality, not presence.

Even in PR, this logic can become a useful guide. It is not a matter of manning every channel continuously, but of understanding when a piece of content, a statement, an insight is most likely to be received, shared, amplified.

It means, for example, reading the context in which a journalist is working, understanding what his or her audience is looking for at that moment, and then coming up with content when interest around a certain topic is high. PR can benefit greatly from this analytical, listening-based approach: they are not just spreading news, but can convey responses that reflect real informational needs, at times when attention may be more receptive.

Understanding platform languages is part of the job of listening

Each platform shapes our attention differently. On TikTok, time is extremely compressed: we need extremely fast "hooks" and cyclical formats, where every second is designed to hold our attention. LinkedIn, on the other hand, favors insight and authority, while Instagram favors a visual narrative that anticipates words. The data from Hootsuite confirm that people expect different languages in different environments, and it is the responsibility of communicators to recognize them, adapt, and experiment with formats consistent with the target ecosystem.

Even for PR, understanding these mechanisms does not mean turning into content creators or marketers, but better interpreting the context in which news, trends, and conversations move.

If interest in data is growing on LinkedIn, if new ways of talking about mental health or innovation are spreading on TikTok, if certain visual languages are dominating on Instagram, all of this can help those working in media relations to come up with more relevant stories, hooked on what people are already searching for, reading, sharing.

In this sense, observing social is not marketing, but listening better to reality, anticipating latent questions, information needs, and angles capable of building solid relationships.

Empathy as an invisible metric

In the report "State of Journalism 2024" of Muck Rack a significant fact emerges: the 14 % of journalists identifies as the main difficulty competition for the public's attention.

It is not so much a matter of poor quality in content, but a deeper change: today, even well-written, well-constructed content risks not being heard if it is not placed in the right time and context.

This is where empathy comes in: the ability to put oneself in the recipient's shoes, anticipate his or her timing, information needs, and reading habits. It is not a soft skill to be developed, but a real strategic parameter to always have in mind. Those who write, those who create, those who promote must think in terms of attention and trust as scarce and interconnected resources, and therefore neither can be taken for granted.

Questions to be kept open

In light of all this, more than finding formulas or "best practices," we need to cultivate the right questions. Here are some that, as communications professionals, are worth continuing to ask: Are we talking to someone or to someone? Is our content designed to be understood or to be shared? If there were no numbers, how would we measure the value of a relationship?Is there still a space for depth when evolution demands that we run?

If our approach-which we share through all our channels-the results we achieve, our way of working, and the values that guide us resonate with your brand and the people who work in your organization, contact us.

We work alongside companies to build authentic and lasting media relationships through structured and targeted PR strategies. We can share dozens of case studies to show you concretely the impact of our work.

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