Is Media Sucking Away Time?

According to Amusing Ourselves to Death, citizens of America were capable of listening intently to debates by political figures that lasted for hours upon hours a long time ago. These people were able to interact with the debators, cheer for their person, and absorb every detail that they were saying, all while staying seated without having to get up for a 5-minute break. What happened to that attention span that our ancestors had?

In my opinion, as the media slowly changed, it sucked up the publics attention spans and capability of sitting still, even through little 30-minute long television shows. Think about it, as things got more convinient to watch or listen to, the time limits of those programs dwindled down. From debates to the radio to television, things are having to get simpler and shorter to keep up with the dwindling of the American mind. For example, the people who watched debates slowly got accustomed to the radio shows, making hours at a debate seem insane. Following, the radio shows soon became too long as well, so they became filled with commercials, a break in time where the people didn't need to pay attention.

Then came the television, where half the shows are now commercials in which people can take breaks; and even now people can fast-forward through commercials for lack of patience to watch them. I don't know how things could get worse, but with media going in this downcast direction, it'll find a way. Do you agree that the media is one of the biggest reasons Americans are now always in a rush?