Is 'Short-Form Video' Good or Bad?

 

 'Short-form video' refers to video content that is 5-90 seconds in duration. Short-form videos such as YouTube's 'Shorts' and Instagram's 'Reels' are trending worldwide, and Korea is no exception to this phenomenon. Short video content is becoming the top trend of online video services. According to Open Survey, a consumer data platform, about 70% of Koreans watched short-form videos in 2023. This figure is about 12% higher than in 2022, and the number of short-form viewers constantly increases yearly.

 

 While it is true that the use and spread of short-form videos have advantages, many also worry that they will have harmful effects on viewers. The debate of whether or not short-form videos are beneficial is increasing with the number of viewers every year.

 

The History of 'Short-Form Videos'

  Short-form videos appeared with smartphones. Short-form videos were made to fit the smartphone's vertical screen, so it quickly became popular among the young generations at the time. In 2012, Snapchat first offered a service where users could watch and share videos about 10 seconds long. Following this trend, in 2013, Instagram allowed users to share 15-second-long videos, and later, it added a short-form function widely known as 'reels.' TikTok, a short-form content platform that trended in 2020, popularized entertaining short-form content that can be enjoyed easily while commuting to work or during breaks. As Youtube released 'Shorts' in response to TikTok's intensifying competition in 2021, all of the short-form videos people around the globe enjoy nowadays finally took root.

 

Advantages of Short-Form Videos

  First of all, short-form videos are a valuable tool for providing press information to young generations. National agencies, media companies, and organizations providing public services are producing short-form content targeting young audiences. According to the ‘2022 Media Audience Survey' announced by the Korea Press Foundation in December 2022, online video platforms such as YouTube, which provides short-form videos, were the top three media for news usage. Since short-form videos are especially well-consumed and popular among teens and the 20s, it is easy for media companies to provide information through short-form videos targeting the younger generation.

 

 Secondly, short-form videos are advantageous in conveying information in a short period of time. Short-form videos select critical information that the viewers should know and deliver them efficiently in about a minute. Media communication Professor Kim said, "In the era of the 'sea of ​​information' where countless videos are created, video recipients can easily feel fatigued. Providing short yet quality videos to relieve the fatigue of too many videos increases the efficiency of information delivery."

 

Disadvantages of Short-Form Videos

  Short-form videos can degrade people's ability to understand the overall context of the information. Nicholas Carr, a world-renowned management consultant, mentioned the harmful effects of short-form content in his book "The Shallows." If people become addicted to short-form content that mainly provides edited information, their ability to reflect on the context of the content deteriorates.

 

 Moreover, short-form videos put viewers under the threat of the 'Popcorn Brain' phenomenon. 'Popcorn Brain' refers to a phenomenon in which the brain becomes accustomed to fast and strong digital stimulation and becomes insensitive to real-life stimulation. It is an analogy to the brain that does not respond unless there is a significant and intense stimulus, like the big bounce of popcorn when it is made. When our brains watch stimulating images, they release dopamine, a pleasure hormone. If this stimulation continues, tolerance develops, and we seek out more significant and immediate stimulation, becoming insensitive to reality's slow and weak stimulation. Kim Young-hoon, a professor of pediatrics at St. Mary's Hospital, said, "If you get into the habit of watching short-form videos, it becomes difficult to watch other videos that are longer, so the time spent watching short-form videos increases more and more." Since short-form videos maintain the viewer's brain in a 'passive concentration' mode, watching them eventually decreases concentration on everything people do.

 

How to use short-form videos wisely

 Short-form videos have completely opposite influences on our society, as seen above. The short-form video industry continues to grow every minute, and it is hard to decide whether it is beneficial or harmful. However, regardless of its harmful influences, the benefits short-form videos bring to the world can't be ignored. It is important to understand the exact powers short-form videos have and learn how to manage their use wisely.

 

 

By Staff Reporter Kim Sua