If you can’t resist short-form content you’re not alone. It turns out that most modern-day consumers enjoy watching short-form content. In fact, according to The Leap, 73% of consumers prefer to watch short-form content to learn about a product or service.
So why is short-form content so popular? There are a few reasons, and one of them is psychological.
Why is short-form content so popular?
1. It’s more cost-effective to make
Long-form content requires marketers and creators to work extremely hard to keep their audience engaged. Often requiring the use of dynamic shots, mood-setting music, and a long and compelling script. This all takes time, effort, and most importantly, cash.
In contrast, short-form content is naturally to the point and requires few frills to be effective.
Duolingo’s TikTok account, for example, features short, funny, and slightly unhinged videos and has over 10.8 million followers because of this.
Their most popular video is of the Duolingo owl plush toy getting thrown down the stairs at the company office, sitting in the rain, and getting soaked in the shower, with the overhead caption “When you ignore my notifications.”
The video was shot on a smartphone without fancy angles or lighting and the music is from a viral song currently doing the rounds on TikTok.
It’s so simple and cheap, yet so effective.
2. It does a good job of relaying important information in a short space of time
Short-form content effectively provides entertainment, information, and value by delivering focused messages and making it easier for audiences to absorb and retain information.
It gets straight to the point and engages audiences from beginning to end, which helps to create a lasting impression.
3. You can watch short-form content anytime, anywhere
The rise of smartphones has played a significant role in the popularity of short-form content. The convenience offered by these devices has allowed users to access content anytime, anywhere.
Not only is it convenient for consumers, but it also assists marketers with repurposing content on various platforms.
Another crucial aspect regarding the popularity of short-form content is the increased accessibility to the internet. Nowadays, Wi-Fi and mobile data are available in most places, which has made it much more convenient for users to stay connected and consume content on the go.
4. Consumer’s attention spans are shrinking
There is scientific evidence, according to Dr Gloria Mark, that one of the crucial reasons we love to consume short-form content is because our attention spans are shrinking.
In fact, according to her book, Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity, her research indicates that our attention spans have been slowly shrinking for the last 20 years.
Back in 2004, she found that the average attention span on any screen was about two and a half minutes. Throughout the years, it became shorter until eventually in 2012 it was found to be only about 75 seconds.
This trend of dwindling concentration is affecting how we consume content. And it’s not just social media content, television series and movies have gotten shorter too, in an effort to keep people’s interest and attention.
So what came first? Shorter concentration spans or people being accustomed to consuming shorter content?
The whole phenomenon seems like a chicken vs egg situation as people are unsure which came first or which seems to be influencing the other.
What is evident is the fact that we as a society are becoming more accustomed to shorter bursts of content, to the point that it’s affecting the kind of content that’s being created.
Recent studies have found that most consumers will only watch an entire video if it’s less than sixty seconds long.
Conclusion
There are a few different reasons to love short-form content, some admittedly more concerning than others, like the fact that our attention spans are getting so short… But no matter the reason, one thing’s for sure, short-form content isn’t going away anytime soon.
