Acharya Prashant addresses the issue of shortening attention spans due to social media by stating that the problem is not primarily about the span of attention, but rather the quality of the object being attended to. He explains that human consciousness is characterized by a constant, lifelong search and craving for something that can bring it to rest. This inherent longing makes us perpetually restless, constantly approaching the infinite objects in the world in the hope that one of them will finally satisfy this deep internal need. The success of the short video format on social media is a direct consequence of this human condition. The audience, in an unconscious way, is looking for something extraordinary. When presented with a long video, they quickly realize within a few minutes that it does not contain what their deepest self is looking for, and they drop off. Content creators, aware that they cannot hold the audience's attention for long, have adapted by creating shorter content. This strategy improves viewership metrics for platform algorithms, as watching a small portion of a short video constitutes a higher percentage of completion than watching the same duration of a long video. This has led to the inevitable rise of the short-form format. The fundamental issue, according to the speaker, is that the content being served lacks a 'touch of eternity' or an 'all-essential quality.' People are fed up with 'trash,' which he defines not by its production value but by its substance—the message and insight it offers. The content fails to provide relief to a tormented life or fill the existential void within. It is often just a repetitive and dull rehash of something old, packaged in a new, lucrative way. This has created a crisis where there is a proliferation of colorful objects and choices, yet nothing that can truly satisfy, which he likens to the poem, 'Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.' Instead of addressing the root cause by providing content with truth and beauty, creators resort to trickery, shortcuts, and embellishments like special effects and filters. They do this because they are unable to address the central problem: the deep, parched existence of the viewer. The core issue is not the length of the attention span but the quality of the object being served to the audience. If the content is worthwhile and offers relief to the soul, people can watch it for any length of time, as demonstrated by the enduring appeal of lengthy epics. The problem is not that people are afraid of length; they are just fed up with trash.