Everyone blames (or credits, depending on your perspective) MTV for creating a nation with a short attention span when it comes to focusing on visual images.

I think two of my favorite electronic devices – the iPod and TiVO – are likely to have just as big an impact on how we all are willing to receive information and advertising in the future.

It’s got me worried enough to wonder if I should stop using my iPod Shuffle. I enjoy the randomness of the music, but that desire to be constantly and pleasantly surprised is changing how I want to deal with making decisions and interact with others.

“What’s for dinner, Lisa?”

“I have no idea. Why don’t you surprise me?”

That’s annoying but okay when dealing with the hubby. (Just a tip, but waiters don’t really dig this approach to ordering). It’s also not likely to fly at the office.

“What’s in the next issue of the magazine, Lisa?”

“Not sure. I thought I’d just decide as things come up.”

Good thing I’m much more a planner when it comes to my job and I can assure you that things here at Revenue magazine are well thought out in advance. But you can see how this might become a problem.

And I don’t think that I’m alone in this. The number of iPod users is growing. A new Piper Jaffrey report finds that 41 percent of the high school students surveyed own an MP3 player, and of those, more than half are iPod owners.

A new report from Jupiter Research says that digital music players will reach critical mass in 2005, with ownership levels getting to 15 to 20 percent of households. JupiterResearch expects shipments of MP3 players in the US will increase by 35 percent in 2005, totaling 18.2 million by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the installed base will grow from 16.2 million in 2004 to 56.1 million in 2010.

The other device that seems to be interfering with how I want to get information is my beloved TiVO. My friends, family and co-workers can attest to the fact that I am more than just attached to my TiVO, I love it and don’t even remember how the world was able to spin on its axis before this wonder came along.

But again the side effects are slipping into the rest of my life. If I’m listening to the radio and miss something, I curse the fact that I can not just rewind to hear what I missed. I also feel this way sometimes when I’m talking to people and I happen to space out for just a second or two.

It’s also made me averse to commercials. I’m annoyed when I have to watch them on TV or hear them on the radio. That’s bad news for DVR advertisers. Ad-skipping and on-demand viewing could result in $27 billion in lost ad revenue for the TV industry over the next five years, according to new research by Accenture. The research suggests that the impact of DVRs, video on demand and interactive TV will be much greater than previously thought.

Viewers with DVRs skip 70 percent of ads, a trend expected to get worse as DVR penetration grows from 8 percent of homes to a projected 40 percent by 2009, according to Accenture’s research.

Tell me how online advertisers can beat this short attention span problem and attract consumers.