←back to thread

TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

(www.thenexus.media)
292 points natalie3p | 1 comments | 10 Sep 25 16:08 UTC | HN request time: 0.202s | source
Show context
keiferski ◴[10 Sep 25 16:33 UTC] No.45200147[source]▶
Too simple of a narrative. At the same time, YouTube videos are getting longer, and people are watching more YouTube videos on TVs than on mobile devices:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2025/02/12/launched-...

So I think we're seeing more of a bifurcation: in-depth longform videos are becoming 30, 40, 60, even 90 minutes long, whereas anything shorter than 10 minutes is being compressed to 30-60 seconds. The most popular video creators are doing both; even MrBeast routinely has videos over 30 minutes long.

replies(22): >>45200188 #>>45200190 #>>45200272 #>>45200320 #>>45200321 #>>45200334 #>>45200391 #>>45200471 #>>45200547 #>>45200746 #>>45200790 #>>45201140 #>>45201428 #>>45201491 #>>45201506 #>>45202278 #>>45203309 #>>45203946 #>>45204016 #>>45205160 #>>45206190 #>>45209518 #
quxbar ◴[10 Sep 25 16:35 UTC] No.45200190[source]▶
I won't even look at a youtube video essay about an obscure vintage RPG (my preferred form of guilty pleasure viewing) if it's under 20 minutes long.
replies(7): >>45200211 #>>45200215 #>>45200322 #>>45200459 #>>45200597 #>>45200853 #>>45202484 #
xhrpost ◴[10 Sep 25 16:43 UTC] No.45200322[source]▶
I watched a 2 hour video on the history of computer RPGs, I think it was specific to DND, and found it captivating. Would also like to hear your recs.
replies(3): >>45200608 #>>45200685 #>>45205751 #
echelon ◴[10 Sep 25 17:07 UTC] No.45200685[source]▶
I hate this bifurcation.

I almost never want 2-hour documentary style videos, yet 1-minute teasers leave me even more dissatisfied.

I want 5-minute to 15-minute videos. They can be either overviews or summaries that cover broad stretches or super focused essays that go deeply in depth on just a singular hyper-focused point.

Long-form typically means opinionated and written for a lay audience. Filled with unnecessary pregnant pauses, fluff, and breathing room. Historians trying to craft a narrative.

Stop wasting your viewer's precious time on b-roll or building a case. Smart audiences will trust you if you're succinct and factual.

So take the heinously verbose documentary format, trim it down to just 10 to 15 minutes, and you're left with a fast-paced, frenetic, fully dehydrated, factual blow-by-blow.

That's the sweet spot. Maximum information density.

replies(4): >>45201047 #>>45201972 #>>45202517 #>>45204386 #
1. RankingMember ◴[10 Sep 25 17:35 UTC] No.45201047[source]▶
Some channels do both since people have different tastes/levels of free time. I think it's a good strategy, though I don't know how it plays out on the money side. For example, a YouTube channel about automotive fabrication and tuning ("Gingium" in this case) will release high-detail build videos in series, then when the project is over, add a "Building a [x, e.g. Supercharged Off-road Miata] in 10 Minutes" condensed video with all the key moments.