Like most people, I’m a victim of a shrinking attention span. My internet-addled brain has a harder time focusing on longform material like books, long articles, and the anecdotes, opinions, and personal asides shared by others. But so far, my attention hasn’t been divided when it comes to TV series. But maybe that’s just a sign of my age. My teenaged kids rarely want to watch a family movie because of its length and always check the duration a series episode before committing to a communal viewing session. Should we be worried that the younger generation is unable or unwilling to focus even on something entertaining and fun? Or should I be worried that my kids see spending 28 minutes staring at a screen with me as a bit too much we time? There’s no time to worry. If you do, you’re likely to miss several episodes of a newish form of TV. The episodes are short (like, two minutes) but plentiful. MIT Tech Review: China’s next cultural export could be TikTok-style short soap operas. “It’s easy to compare apps like these to Quibi, a high-profile video service that infamously failed after less than a year in 2020. But these latest Chinese apps are different. They don’t aim for slick, expensive productions. Instead, they choose simple scripts, shoot an entire series in two weeks, market it heavily online, and move on to the next project if it doesn’t stick.”