Editorial: Why can’t I focus?

from Pitchfork, Issue 3, 2022-2023, December 16, 2023

Fast changing trends in social media

Attention span is a problem that has become more frequently talked about as the world continues to constantly develop. Especially with the holidays being here and Christmas break being around the corner, it’s hard to focus on what’s happening now and not the future.

This time of year is supposed to be happy and stress free, but it’s the opposite. The end of the school semester brings loads of work and finals and the endless amount of stress that comes with it. I love this part of the year and dread it at the same time.

I’ve never understood why teachers think it’s a good idea to give finals right before a big break. Students’ attention span would be so much shorter during this time because they’re focused on doing all the festive holiday events or going on vacation during break. I believe that this is the reason that the Christmas spirit is gone for most students because teachers kill the fun of having a break.

I know my attention span gets shorter and shorter depending on the time of the year. I understand that I need to stay focused and on track during this time because these finals can determine my grade in the class, but it’s hard.

Elaina Gehlbach (9)

“I would say that social media distracts me, I feel like I’m always worried about what’s happening there.”

Esmeralda Riveria (11)

“During school, I would say my phone. I’m always on it looking at social media, which isn’t a good thing, but I try to have self-control during lessons.”

I’m tired of the same routine and having to get up to go to classes that I don’t like, which makes school miserable. Luckily, I have classes that I love to go to that make my day better. My attention span is definitely better in classes I like because they grab my interest. I love my Pitchfork class because I love journalism and writing cool articles.

What distracts you the most?

Mac Shirley (10)

“Probably my phone. It’s just sitting, and has much more fun stuff to do than school work.”

Samariah Upchurch (12)

“I feel like social media distracts me a lot. Pinterest and TikTok especially, as I see something I like and end up spending more time on them.”

Followers will be chosen each issue to win a Zaxby’s gift card from @Zaxbys591SMP, This issue’s winner is John Gomes (10).

Pitchfork is published by journalism students at Marietta High. It is free to the student body, staff and community. The views and opinions expressed in the Pitchfork are not necessarily those of the administration and faculty. Letters to the editor should be brought to room J208 or emailed to the staff: pitchfork@marietta-city.k12.ga.us

Mission Statement: Pitchfork is a student written and produced newspaper aimed at educating, enlightening, and entertaining Marietta High’s students. All content is determined by the staff in an attempt to be relevant and give voice to the student body.

Being on the phone is the biggest distraction that causes attention span to be shorter. TikTok is my most used app on my phone and I can’t seem to stay off of it no matter how hard I try. I can honestly say that TikTok is the reason for its users attention span being shorter. The way they deceivingly make the videos only 30 seconds to one minute long and perfectly align them to things of my interest will have me on there for hours without even knowing it. As I typed this editorial, I stopped in the middle of a sentence to go on TikTok because I couldn’t think. I used to love watching long YouTube videos of people vlogging their life, and now if it does not hook me within the first couple minutes of the video it has lost my interest.

The only way of solving students’ attention span problem is to make learning interesting to them. If it’s a boring topic that we’re learning about then you’ve lost me. With the world constantly developing, I don’t see our attention spans becoming any better. Limiting screen time is a good way of staying focused because the end of the semester is a crucial time. Work hard in order to relax and never have to think about school over break.

Winter Horoscopes: Happy Holidays

Food For Your Folks

For this holiday season, we invite you in to cook up something for the whole family. From Roast Beef to Snow Treats, everyone has something unique for this festive season Just SCAN the QR code!