Is there possibly a middle ground? If the meeting is about a big project and I have expert knowledge on a small part of that, I will often work through the meeting but stay tuned in for parts relevant to me. Spending the whole meeting in rapt attention would likely be a waste of time, but not attending at all is bad as well.

As others have said, an upfront agenda is helpful.

That's a good point. I personally got numb against people not paying attention the past year, doesn't mean everyone is.

It's just an easy way to reclaim time. I agree the better solution is to trim meetings.