Short Form Content Is BROKEN. Can We Fix It?

Summary

The video script discusses the pervasive influence of short-form content platforms like TikTok, which have led to a 'tick tockification' of the internet, prioritizing quick dopamine hits over meaningful engagement. It highlights the negative impacts on attention spans and the challenges faced by companies and creators in monetizing this content. The script suggests a potential solution lies in linking short-form content to long-form, more in-depth material, allowing for better discovery and sustainable business models for creators, while also providing a more fulfilling experience for users.

Takeaways

• 🕰️ The script discusses the negative impact of short-form content platforms like Tick Tock on attention spans and the shift from traditional media consumption.
• 📈 It highlights the 'Tick Tockification' of the internet, where platforms adopt short, algorithm-driven content to keep users engaged.
• 🎥 The script points out that with an overwhelming amount of content being uploaded daily, platforms are struggling to surface the most relevant content to users.
• 📊 It criticizes the use of 'tricks' in short-form videos to boost retention, which can lead to lower attention spans and a lack of meaningful content.
• 🎬 The script contrasts the current trend with the past, where movies like 'Star Wars' could be engaging without the need for rapid pacing and flashy edits.
• 📉 It mentions that despite the popularity of short-form content, the monetization model is not as effective, with platforms like Tick Tock struggling to make profits.
• 📚 There's a counter-trend emerging with a resurgence in long-form content, such as podcasts and newsletters, which offer deeper engagement and better monetization opportunities.
• 🔗 The script suggests that linking short-form content with long-form content could be a solution, providing a discovery engine for in-depth material.
• 🛠️ It calls for a change in algorithms to optimize for overall user retention across both short and long-form content.
• 💰 Lastly, it emphasizes the need for platforms to support creators in building sustainable businesses, which in turn can fuel the content ecosystem.

Q & A

What is the main concern about the current state of digital content consumption as described in the script?

The main concern is that digital platforms are using short-form, algorithmically driven content to capture and retain users' attention, leading to shorter attention spans and a lack of depth in content consumption.

How has the increase in content creation affected content discovery on platforms?

With an overwhelming amount of content being created, platforms have shifted to short-form, vertical scrolling feeds with smart algorithms to help surface content to users efficiently.

What is the 'tick tockification' mentioned in the script, and why is it a problem?

'Tick tockification' refers to the trend of platforms adopting short-form, vertically scrolling video content similar to TikTok. It's a problem because it creates an addictive loop of short-term dopamine hits, which is not sustainable for user engagement or creator monetization.

Why are companies struggling to monetize short-form content effectively?

Companies are struggling because the short-form content model, while engaging, does not provide a conducive environment for effective advertising, leading to lower monetization efficiency compared to traditional feeds.

What is the impact of short-form content on users' attention and memory?

Short-form content, with its rapid pace and focus on retention, has been linked to lower attention spans and short-term memory, particularly affecting younger users who are growing up with this type of content.

How has the creator landscape been affected by the rise of short-form content platforms?

Creators are finding it challenging to build sustainable businesses on short-form content platforms due to low payouts and the need to constantly chase virality, leading many to seek opportunities in long-form content creation.

What is the 'Missing Link' that the script suggests could improve the current content consumption model?

The 'Missing Link' refers to a solution that connects short-form content with long-form content in a seamless way, allowing for deeper engagement and more sustainable monetization for creators and platforms.

Why are long-form content platforms like podcasts and newsletters experiencing growth despite the trend towards short-form content?

Long-form content platforms are growing because they offer depth, engagement, and a sense of completion that short-form content lacks, satisfying users' desires for more meaningful and substantial content experiences.

What are the three key aspects platforms need to focus on to make the 'Missing Link' work?

To make the 'Missing Link' work, platforms need to: 1) seamlessly link short-form and long-form content, 2) change algorithms to optimize for overall retention rather than single video retention, and 3) create a platform where creators can build sustainable businesses.

How does the script suggest platforms can better support creators and improve content discovery?

The script suggests platforms should focus on creating a discovery engine for long-form content, change their algorithms to promote overall user retention, and provide a business-friendly environment for creators to thrive.

Outlines

00:00

📉 The Rise of Short-Form Content and Its Impact

This paragraph discusses the pervasive influence of short-form content platforms like Tick Tock and its impact on attention spans and content consumption. It highlights how these platforms, with their algorithm-driven feeds and rapid content delivery, have altered the way we engage with media. The speaker criticizes the 'dopamine machine' of short-form content for being broken at its core and suggests that there's a growing awareness of its negative effects. The paragraph also touches on the trend of various companies adopting this model, leading to a homogenization of content across platforms.

05:01

🔄 The Downside of Short-Form Content Obsession

The second paragraph delves into the consequences of the short-form content obsession, particularly the focus on viewer retention as a key metric for algorithmic curation. It points out that this obsession leads to a spiral of content that aims to keep viewers scrolling without providing substantial value. The speaker shares a personal anecdote about watching a classic movie and how the modern short attention span makes it difficult to appreciate longer, more nuanced content. The paragraph also discusses the challenges faced by companies in monetizing short-form content and the realization that the current model may not be sustainable for creators or platforms.

10:03

🌟 The Renaissance of Long-Form Content

The final paragraph presents a counterpoint to the dominance of short-form content, highlighting a resurgence in long-form content such as podcasts, newsletters, and longer YouTube videos. It suggests that despite the allure of quick dopamine hits from short videos, there is a significant audience that still values and engages with deeper, more substantial content. The speaker proposes a solution that bridges the gap between short-form discovery and long-form engagement, emphasizing the need for platforms to evolve their algorithms and content strategies to support and sustain both types of content. The paragraph concludes with a hopeful outlook for a more balanced media landscape that values depth as well as discovery.

Keywords

💡Tick Tock

Tick Tock refers to the short-form video platform TikTok, which has become synonymous with the rapid, algorithm-driven content consumption model. In the video, 'Tick Tock' symbolizes the shift towards short, attention-grabbing content that dominates modern digital media. The script discusses how platforms like TikTok have influenced other services to adopt similar 'Tick Tockification' strategies, impacting user attention spans and content creation.

💡Algorithms

Algorithms in this context are the set of rules or processes that platforms use to curate and display content to users. The video discusses how 'smart algorithms' on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are designed to keep users engaged through vertical scrolling feeds. These algorithms are criticized for potentially contributing to shorter attention spans and a focus on retention metrics at the expense of content depth.

💡Short-form content

Short-form content refers to brief, easily consumable media, typically found on platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. The video highlights the prevalence of short-form content and its impact on user behavior, suggesting that while it's effective for engagement, it may not be conducive to deeper learning or retention. The script contrasts this with the resurgence of long-form content as a counter-trend.

💡Retention

Retention in the video script refers to the measure of how long users watch a piece of content before moving on. It's a key metric for platforms to optimize their algorithms, as mentioned in the script where the obsession with viewer attention leads to a 'spiral towards keeping you watching.' The video argues that this focus on retention can lead to a decline in the quality and depth of content.

💡Dopamine hits

Dopamine hits are short-term, pleasurable rewards that trigger the brain's pleasure centers, often associated with the instant gratification of social media engagement. The video uses this term to describe the addictive nature of short-form content platforms, where the rapid succession of videos provides a constant stream of these 'hits,' potentially at the cost of more meaningful engagement.

💡Long-form content

Long-form content contrasts with short-form, referring to more extended and in-depth media, such as podcasts, full-length movies, or detailed articles. The video suggests a resurgence of interest in long-form content, indicating a desire for more substantial and meaningful engagement, which is seen as a potential solution to the issues posed by short-form content saturation.

💡Creator economy

The creator economy encompasses the ecosystem of individuals who produce content for platforms and earn income from their creations. The video touches on how the explosion of content on platforms has led to a challenge in surfacing this content to users, impacting the sustainability of the creator economy. It also suggests that the current short-form content model may not be the best for creators looking to build long-term businesses.

💡Monetization

Monetization in the video refers to the process by which platforms and creators generate revenue from content. It's highlighted as a challenge for short-form content platforms, where the video notes that increased engagement through short videos does not necessarily translate to higher ad revenue. The script suggests that longer-form content may offer better monetization opportunities.

💡Discovery engine

A discovery engine in the context of the video is a system that helps users find and engage with content that interests them. The video suggests that while short-form platforms have mastered discovery for their content, long-form content lacks an effective discovery engine, which is seen as a missed opportunity for both users and creators.

💡Mindless scrolling

Mindless scrolling describes the behavior of aimlessly browsing through content without a specific purpose or goal. The video criticizes this behavior as a byproduct of short-form content platforms, which may keep users engaged but do not necessarily provide value or satisfaction. The script calls for a shift towards more meaningful content discovery and engagement.

Highlights

Tick Tock and similar platforms are criticized for shortening attention spans with their algorithmic, short-form content feeds.

The internet has seen a shift from long-form content to short, algorithmically driven content like Tick Tock's vertical scrolling feeds.

Companies like Spotify and Amazon have adopted the short-form content model, indicating a widespread 'Tick Tockification'.

The core issue is that these platforms have built a 'dopamine machine' that is broken, realizing the need for a solution.

There's a potential light at the end of the tunnel, suggesting a positive shift away from short-form content.

The real reason for the shift to short-form content is the overwhelming amount of content that needs to be surfaced to users.

Platforms have tried various methods to surface content, from search to trending tabs, culminating in the current short-form video format.

The design pattern of short-form videos is familiar to users, which incentivizes companies to adopt it without reinventing the wheel.

The consequences of short-form content are darker, with content creators using tricks to retain viewers' attention.

The style of content has changed dramatically due to the medium, as seen with the evolution of movie styles.

Retention has become an obsession, driving content creation towards short-term engagement rather than long-term value.

Short-form video platforms are not profitable, even though they engage users for long periods.

Creators on platforms like Tick Tock and Instagram Reels struggle to build sustainable businesses due to low payouts.

There's a resurgence of long-form content, such as podcasts and newsletters, indicating a desire for deeper engagement.

The average length of top-grossing movies has increased, countering the trend of short attention spans.

The solution lies in linking short-form content with long-form content in a seamless yet separate way.

Algorithms need to optimize for overall retention, not just single video retention, to encourage long-form content consumption.

Platforms must create an environment where creators can build sustainable businesses for long-term success.

Spotify's new homepage and Tick Tock's increased video length indicate steps towards longer-form content.

Transcripts

Tick Tock is evil it's killing our

attention spans and

wait

what is all this

looks like we went from being able to

have a normal conversation or watching a

slow scene in a movie so now needing all

sorts of devilish tricks to keep our

attention on something vertical

scrolling feeds with Wicked smart

algorithms and short beats of content

I've invaded every corner of the

internet whether you call them shorts

reels Tick Tock I mean even Spotify now

has jumped on a train The Tick

tockification is complete and after

these companies turn what we watch into

well this now they have a huge problem

they now realize that this white

dopamine machine that they built is

broken at the core but if we look Beyond

this noise and what's happening now

there is a light at the end of the

tunnel a solution that can turn this

short form algorithmic Mass it's

something really positive not only for

the companies that make these but also

for us the users for once but to

understand it we first have to

understand the real reason why

everything became a copy of tick tock

herberg's reels where they are just the

latest in a series of features that they

just copied from others Spotify is now

making this vertical scrolling algorithm

recipe their new homepage to discover

music and podcasts and even Amazon who

doesn't really have content to show has

found a way somehow to let this Inspire

feed YouTube added shorts which recently

have been taking over more and more of

the homepage and even read it as jump on

the train because everywhere you look

the recipe is always the same take your

content make it so that it now becomes

scrollable videos make them autoplay add

a smart AI algorithm and you're done and

there's one specific reason why this

makes total sense for all these

companies and that is that they have

just too much content we went from 6

hours of videos uploaded every single

minute on YouTube in 2007 to over 500

hours a minute uploaded today every day

60 000 tracks are added to Spotify

that's 21 million tracks a year and just

think that in 2008 the entire iTunes

music store at only 8 million tracks now

let's be clear this is amazing new

creativity new points of view new ideas

people building a career in this Creator

economy but the platforms where visual

started now have a problem people's time

is limited so how do you surface all

this content to your users they've tried

having you search for things they've

tried having you click on stuff then

came trending tabs and light counters

all the way to Social and now there's

this shiny new thing on the horizon

vertical scrolling videos and smart

algorithms it seems like it's the

perfect solution not only because it's

based on videos which is one of the most

immediate and engaging types of medium

but also because it's an established

design pattern now this means that if

you show this to someone they will

automatically know what to do scroll

down double tap to like here are the

comments everybody knows how this works

it's baked into the minds of billions of

people now so if I am one of these big

companies I'm incentivized to build

something that people are already

familiar with so I don't have to

reinvent the wheel and this is why

company after company platform after

platform they all fell victim to this

tick tockification but the consequences

of this are getting darker and darker

when the first movies with sound started

to appear in the 1920s and 30s the style

of movies themselves change dramatically

from being very Visual and having to

show what was happening we now have

entire movies there are just a bunch of

people talking in rooms the medium the

way we consume something almost always

ends up having a big impact on the

content itself the information the art

and vertical style Tick Tock videos are

no exception to this because now you

need to hook people in make them watch

as much as possible of that one minute

video so people started to realize that

they can just use tricks

and they started cramming those into the

videos like those subtitles that you see

everywhere Ultra fast editing even

adding unrelated other Clips like

Minecraft all of this in pursuit of one

thing and one thing only retention or

how much are you able to keep users

watching a few months ago I watched with

my girlfriend one of my favorite movies

of all time I watch it hundreds of times

Star Wars the first one and she watched

it for the first time and she was bored

now is she allowed to be bored watching

a new movie yeah of course is she

allowed to be bored watching Star Wars

absolutely not I find your lack of faith

disturbing

Jokes Aside this movie came out in 1977.

this was a time where content

entertainment was scarce there was no

need of tricks to keep you watching no

crazy subtitles no Minecraft Gameplay

although I would have been interesting

he's heading for that small Moon

[Music]

third piece but by today's standards

it's just slow but retention now is

everyone's Obsession because it's the

one metric that the mighty algorithms

use to decide what to show and what not

to show and this is nothing new in the

past it was optimizing for the best

television slots optimizing the length

of a song for the radio this obsession

with viewer attention is a spiral

towards keeping you watching Keeping you

there keeping you scrolling keeping you

addicted watch the pretty coin of gold

so that you can see more ads and the

cycle continues so earlier today I

emerged from my last 25 minutes random

scrolling session on Tick Tock and I

think I watch pretty interesting stuff

there were some interesting videos in

there but then I thought to myself how

much do I remember about what I watched

and the answer is basically nothing and

when I look at this new wave of short

form videos even though they are able to

keep me there for long periods of time I

feel like I'm not getting anything in

return our short-term memory has been

defined by cognitive psychologists and

Lasting 15 to 30 seconds while the

average length of a tick tock video at

the end of 2021 was 24 to 31 seconds

this is also leading to all kinds of

consequences like lower attention spans

especially for children of people

growing up with this so if this is

what's happening to us the users the

company is making this should be

massively profiting now they should be

swimming in money right well the reality

is that the short form video formula is

already falling apart these feeds are a

constant stream of videos where it's

hard to focus on anything so how much do

you think a random advertisement from a

big corporate company is going to

perform in this show Mark Zuckerberg

said in a recent investor call that the

monetization efficiency of reels is much

less than feed so the more the reels

grow even though it adds to the

engagement to the system overall it

takes some time away from the feed and

we actually lose money and then right

after that they took away the reels

Creator fund the way they were paying

creators making reels on Instagram and

meanwhile while we look at tiktok who's

been incredibly successful and has been

growing so much it's still losing money

while YouTube makes money from those 5

to 15 second ads that companies use to

do brand building this is simply not

possible on Tick Tock now even if Tick

Tock loses money this is not a big deal

they are controlled by a big company by

then so it's not a big problem but it's

clear that today the short form video

formula is not even working for the

companies that made it in the first

place and this is also showing on the

other side the side of the people making

held the content the creators while

Instagram is just same kit and removing

the whole Creator funnel together tick

tock's Creator fund has been heavily

criticized for giving incredibly low

payouts even if you get millions of

views because it's a fixed amount and

everybody's just scrambling to get a

piece of a fixed pie and if you look at

Tick Tock reels or even YouTube shorts

many creators that started with these

platforms now realize that they cannot

build long-term and sustainable business

on these platforms so they're always

looking to move to long-form content

whether it's YouTube videos or a podcast

or any other ways where they can build a

more solid business

so in the end this whole system is bad

for everyone it's bad for the companies

that made it it's bad for the creators

and it's bad for the users that fall

into this black hole of scrolling and it

turns out that there is a solution to

this but to get to it we need to look at

the complete opposite direction while

this tsunami of short form videos has

been taking the spotlight and wiping

everything in its direction something

else has been happening behind the

scenes and no one's really talking about

it because long form content had a

Renaissance in this new world of super

fast media people who didn't want to

play the game said it and just

double down on the entire opposite

direction podcasts are making the

biggest examples with some of the most

successful ones worldwide like the

flagrant podcast or Joe Rogan topping

even three or four hour conversations

the podcasting Market went from 4

billion dollars in 2020 to 18 billion

dollars in 2022 with no signs of

stopping then came newsletters and

long-form written content often that you

pay for with substack leading the pack

and gathering over 500 000 paying

subscribers for their newsletter content

and on YouTube with the introduction of

shorts the normal videos have been

getting longer and longer so if people

are getting brainwashed by these Tick

Tock style dopamine hits short attention

span Extravaganza why are we seeing an

explosion of three hour podcasts and 40

minute YouTube videos even movies are

going in a completely counter-intuitive

Direction in 2021 the average length of

the top 10 highest grossing movies was

131 minutes well back in 1981 it was

just 110 minutes people are getting

addicted to that fast dopamine heat type

of content yes but they are more than

willing to spend 30 minutes watching a

YouTube documentary if they are able to

find the right one and this this is the

solution The Missing Link

so let's look at what we have here on

one side we have Tick Tock Instagram

reels shorts whatever you want to call

them they have cracked the code on how

to bring Discovery to a huge library of

contents to billions of people but at

the same time they have created a

massively addictive machine of

short-term dopamine hits it's an

incredible tool to discover new stuff

but that's the only thing you can do you

cannot go deep into anything and on top

of that the companies that make this are

starting to show the first cracks

because they're not able to monetize as

well as they expected and as soon as a

Creator gets some success well the first

thing they want to do is move somewhere

else where they can build a real

business and on the other side it's

clear that people still want to spend

three hours enjoying a conversation or a

very deep movie and this is

extraordinary but this side has a

problem it lacks a way for people to

find this interesting stuff have you

ever tried searching for a podcast

episode on a specific topic it's an

atrocious experience and so I mean

are you getting it

this is the solution what can finally

give some sense to the scrolling machine

allow creators to finally Thrive and

giving interesting long-form content the

discovery engine that it really needs

and in the meantime as always the

companies will make billions of dollars

so now these companies have billions of

dollars tens of thousands of Engineers

um but thousands of Engineers designers

and product managers but there are three

things that they need to nail in order

to make this work the first one is of

course the link short form content and

long-form content in a seamless way but

that keeps them still separate this

vertical scrolling Carnival is not the

right way to watch a 30 minute

documentary and at the same time you

wouldn't watch a series of 10 second

Clips on normal YouTube and in practice

there's many ways to do this for example

one can be to show the long form content

at the end of a short like in this

random design that I made and just a

product manager guy making videos on

YouTube so I leave this to them to

figure it out but what they absolutely

need to make this work is number two

which is changing what the algorithm

optimizes for currently these platforms

optimized for the retention of a single

video how much people watch that single

short or whatever but to make this

Missing Link work they need to change

the algorithm to make sure it optimizes

for the overall retention so for the

show short content all the way to the

long form content this way you will push

on the platform people that are yes able

to hook people in with the flashy stuff

but that then are able to make people

keep watching long form and deeper

content because this is the only place

where platforms can really monetize with

ads and this brings us to points number

three which is creating a platform where

creators can build the real businesses

if you do this properly these companies

will be able to make tons of cash and

it's important that they give something

back to the creators because this is

what fills the machine in the long run

and actually companies are starting to

make the first baby steps toward this

the new tick tock like homepage of

Spotify has been received not in the

best way for music but I think it's

amazing for podcasts on the other side

Tick Tock has increased the maximum

length of a video from 15 seconds to 1

minute and now to 10 minutes and one of

the requirements for a video to be

eligible to be monetized for their new

Creator fund is that the video is at

least one minute long so it's clear that

they are starting to go into the longer

video territory but the problem here is

still that with the scrolling Behavior

they have instilled in their app people

on Tick Tock are just primed to swipe

away this is not the right place to show

these longer videos I really hope this

is the way we get out of the Mindless

Doom scrolling without any purpose

but I may be wrong here maybe yes

everything will collapse into one minute

videos and so you will maybe not end up

watching this next video which by the

way you should