Charts
Are Attention Spans Getting Shorter? A New Study Says “No”
Attention spans are nosediving in our modern society and it’s no surprise that technology and social media are most often given the blame for this. But are attention spans getting shorter for everyone? Maybe not. A new study by Brainscape, which analyzed their users study habits, has revealed that students’ attention spans are actually getting longer while studying. Yes, you read that right. In a world of shrinking attention spans, Brainscape users study sessions are getting longer, which means their attention spans are actually growing.
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Brainscape used the length of study sessions as a relative measure of attention span. They compare their users’ sessions with the average number of minutes studies indicate the general public can focus and, as you can see, with each year attention spans grow. By 2024, students were actively studying for 5 minutes more per session than they were in 2015. While this number is impressive in its own right, users are usually completing several sessions a day, this means that they are studying a LOT more than they were 10 years ago.
For the general public, however, attention spans are assuredly still shrinking. To keep people’s attention, movie scenes are now shorter than they’ve ever been (even though the movies themselves are longer), and websites like TikTok, which is famous for their super-short attention span-friendly videos, is exploding in popularity. While TikTok is believed to be popular because of shorter attention spans, some believe that TikTok itself is helping to make those short attention spans even shorter.
It’s unclear if attention spans will ever get back to the level they were once at (it seems unlikely at this point), so it will be interesting to see how this problem will develop into the future.
Fatal accidents are all too common in the United States, but some crucial factors can affect whether an accident becomes deadly. One of those factors is the safety features of the vehicles involved. Makes and models aren’t equally safe, and the research conducted by the team at Convoy Car Shipping makes this grim fact clear.
The research used data from government organizations to study the statistics on which vehicles were involved in fatal accidents and how many fatal accidents a given vehicle was involved in compared to number of them on the road. The results give us a balanced look at which makes and models have the worst track record of fatal accidents.
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The research shows that these vehicles are the deadliest:
- Ford Ranger
- Jeep Cherokee
- Dodge Charger
- Nissan Maxima
- Ford Taurus
- Ford Mustang
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Chevrolet Blazer/Tahoe
- Chevrolet Silverado
- Ford Expedition
American-made vehicles aren’t looking safe when we consider the number of Ford and Chevy models on this top ten list. Examine the data to find information on even more vehicles. You’ll also see that this make/model list differs from overall crash statistics. The broader picture proved Harley Davidson motorcycles to be the second most deadly vehicles. We think that this skews the story the data tells because motorcycles have far fewer safety features than cars and trucks. The team at Convoy Car Shipping should be applauded for their attention to detail that considers the unequal safety standard on cars and trucks versus motorcycles. The research gives us all possible data so that vehicle owners can draw their own conclusions.
The team at Kylar Mack shows us just how valuable the world’s most precious metals are with this illustrated chart visualizing the cost per ounce of the most expensive metals and alloys. A metal is naturally occurring, and many appear on the periodic table of elements whereas an alloy combines two elements.
On this illustrated chart, we can truly visualize the comparative value of these metals because the team stacked money representative of the value beside an image of each metal. The chart is a great example of the power of visual data. Our eye is immediately drawn to the vast stacks of cash beside the most valuable metal, Californium. These stacks tower above ever other metal on the chart making it clear that not all metals are created equal.
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Californium’s value is a shocking $765,436,299 per ounce! That’s significantly higher than the second-most popular metal, a non-synthetic called Iridium, which is valued at $4,700. The key to the value difference lies in the fact that Californium is a synthetic substance. It’s created in a nuclear reactor and only two plants in the world have the capability of engineering it. As for Iridium, it’s naturally occurring but hard to mine and access. It’s found deep under the Earth’s crust, often attached to asteroids. Through this chart, we can learn more about different metals as well as why they’re so highly valued. Many are needed for key electronics and aerospace parts.
Spam calls are a widespread problem that can be a nuisance or leave important information vulnerable to scammers. This map from Ooma shows us that although spam calls are widespread, they seem to have concentrated hot spots around the nation.
The Ooma team used data from the Federal Communications Commission to pinpoint where the highest number of spam calls are occurring. The data is based on the number of spam call complaints the FCC receives per capita. The team highlighted each city with the highest number of calls and shows in a graph below the map how many spam calls complaints are received per 1,000 people. The map is a detailed look at where spam calls are concentrated, giving us an interesting look at the data. If you live near one of these hot spots, be wary of answering the phone.
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These were the cities that had the highest number of spam call complaints per capita:
- Alexandria, Virginia: 22.84
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: 18.75
- Orlando, Florida: 18.52
- Miami, Florida: 17.58
- Atlanta, Georgia: 16.39
- Las Vegas, Nevada: 16.12
- Knoxville, Tennessee: 15.18
- Plano, Texas: 14.91
- Washington, District of Columbia: 14.46
- Columbia, South Carolina: 14.44
Alexandria, Virginia, tops the list with the highest number of spam call complaints. The city has received so many that local police have had to put out spam call warnings and prevention tips. Seeing such high concentrations of spam calls definitely leads to interesting questions about why these areas might receive more calls than others.
Be sure to check the map carefully and take note of whether your area is near is near one of these locations.
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