For my personal attention span and preferences, 5 to 6 minutes is kind of a sweet spot. I tend to be suspicious of articles much shorter than 5 minutes, afraid that the title will be more of a tease than a promise. I like to be able to dig in a little bit at least.

I don't hesitate to click on articles of six, seven, or eight minutes, typically; but I might feel hesitant to click on an article a lot longer than that. It's not that I wouldn't want to read, it's that I might feel I wouldn't be able to give the story the attention it deserves. I do read long stories, and every day, but I choose them more carefully than shorter stories.

I also read very short stories every day, but I choose them more carefully too.