Lowered Expectations
Preface: I wrote this after talking to my son. He gave me the idea and points. I just wrote this to show a blueprint on how to put it all together into article form
There is an awful lot of content on the internet. Some content is well balanced and high quality while a considerably amount of content doesn't live up to that standard. Some articles are well balanced and enlightening but an increasing amount is just designed to get a quick view and an impression for the advertiser.
Clickbait
Increasingly an article isn't about knowledge it is about "click like to subscribe". An influencer's worth is directly in the name, How many people does this person influence. Which translates to how much ad revenue can we get from this person. One problem with this is that it doesn't care whether this influence is positive or negative just that it gets eyes on the content.
Regarding this article?
It is aimed at only one person: My son
It is for one purpose : To highlight the dangers of short form media
..... and it will not be short.
If you are not my son but still wish to read it? I hope you enjoy my article and my tips on how to write a long form article.
End of part one--the introduction
What have I done so far? (1) A title. Don't underestimate it. Without a good title no one will look at your post. (2) A page title. I like something quick that links to the main title. (3) An introduction that lets the reader know where you are going with the article. If you notice I've made a bunch of unsubstantiated blanket claims. Normally I like to substantiate them but in the introduction I can leave them as contention points if the reader doesn't agree. I'll be spending the rest of my article backing up the claims I made.
Keeping the article flowing
Usually I would start making section headers and writing at this point. However sometimes it can be useful to take a moment and give some bullet points about what the article is about. In this case the article will have a few major parts:
Newsflash : Short form media is like strobe light. Bright and flashy.
The Shrinking attention span : People just can't focus as long as we used to
The dopamine fix : Social Media addiction is real and people need their fix
Lead me to the trough : Getting rich by leading people to ads they willingly watch
Black and white in a gray world : Polarizing viewpoints in a world of nuance
Separating cats and dogs : Cats and dogs can be friends but separate them then put them together and sparks fly.
Dunning Kruger effect : A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
At this point I've put the main ideas of the article in point form. If its a long article I'd probably make those placeholders to links to further places in the article. If it is long but not that long I'd probably want to make it something like "In this article the topics of discussion will be". For this article? I made it brief as I'm using those are reminders of how I'm going to structure the article so I don't get off topic.
The shrinking attention span
If talking about the problems with short form mcontent it is important to know what short form content is. While a dictionary definition is possible in this article I'll define it as internet content designed by either brief duration or short text. On Hive that would be waves. Twitter is an excellent example with only short messages allowed. Instagram Reels which are typically only seconds to maybe a minute or two would qualify. Youtube shorts would also come under the umbrella of short form media. Those are just examples though there are many many types of short form media available today. The thing they have in common. They are a very brief interaction.
Why is brief interaction more and more common? That could be an entire article in itself. Perhaps it is because people in general are becoming addicted to the dopamine hit they get with a new fact coming in. Perhaps they just enjoy the quick humor of a silly cat video? Perhaps life is so busy that they don't have time to watch or read something longer. Perhaps there is so much interesting content that there isn't enough time in the day to cram everything in. Even with regular YouTube video's there is an option to watch at increased speed to shrink the time demand to watch it.
However, when people start thinking that information should come in tiny one or two minute snippets it limits their entire learning routine. Sitting through a one hour lecture at University can seem like quite a Herculean task but if you go back in time? The original lectures by Aristotle at the Lyceum weren't measured in minutes but rather hours or as is referenced: He would only stop when the students got visibly tired and couldn't continue.
His teaching style wouldn't fit well into a modern University.
NEWSFLASH
Trump given crown in South Korea and huge crowds protest around America for "No King" rallies.
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hmm...
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wait...
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Your still reading?
Awesome. With today's short form media in many cases the headline is the message. Just like the newsflash up above. The problem is that those newsflashes are attention catching which is great for getting eyes on the article but they only give a very brief and very bright view of the topic. Is it true that many people came out to No Kings rallies? Yes. Is it true that President Trump got a crown while visiting South Korea? Yes. Are the two related? Probably not. Is there a lot more going absolutely!
Perhaps it could be argued that Newsflashes, Tweets, Or Reels are a bit like a strobe light. Strobe lights send out rapid pulses of light followed by darkness. They make clubs interesting and are great at Halloween parties because they distort the perception of what is happening. Things become stop motion. Things become slightly disjointed. That's great for a party but it isn't very good for getting a clear picture of what is actually happening.
In the same way a series of newsflashes, internet reels, or tweets can be truthful, interesting and ultimately distort what is actually happening. Brief flashes of truth don't illuminate a subject they only distort it, especially if you keep seeing a bunch of jumbled images one after the other. To fully evaluate a topic it needs to be focused on for a longer period of time and from different angles. Take in the whole and not just a brief flashy highlight.
A 10 second news clip can provide a snippet of truth. A 10 minute article can give a better picture of what is happening. A 100 minute balanced expose can actually provide a balanced and in depth review of the topic and different facets to think of. The 10 second version gives a quick dopamine hit if its interesting. The 100 minute version can actually help with learning about a topic. The dopamine hit doesn't lead to smarter people but it is great for drive clicks and traffic.
The Dopamine Hit
Dopamine is a powerful reward chemical in the brain. It makes people feel happy and fulfilled. It is a chemical which the body uses to sense what it wants and needs. Unfortunately it can lead to destructive behavior as anyone with substance abuse can attest to. Now drugs of abuse lead to massive dopamine hits (along with other neural transmitters) and because of that are seriously addicting. Short form media content also leads to short bursts of dopamine. You watch a reel and get curiosity and resolution within 20 seconds. Or you get humor, surprise, learn something or any number of other reinforcements which tell the brain "That was great, need more" the classic dopamine hit.
Here is a little something about dopamine hits. Diminishing rewards. If you watch a 2 hour movie and enjoy it that's a long lasting dopamine hit. However, long lasting means more subtle and less intense. Shorter TV show means a faster reward. YouTube short of Instagram reel? Instant gratification. Guess which one is the most addicting. Short form media.
Making the shepherd rich by algorithm
There is a reason that the founders of social media companies are exceedingly rich. They are akin to drug dealers giving users what they crave. Whether social media actually destroys like illicit drugs is debatable and it would be remiss if directly compared however, social media does use algorithms to keep people coming back for more. What are algorithms? The quick version is they are programs which keep track of what you like or what gets your attention so they can keep on serving you content that suits your tastes.
That's important. From the platform point of view if you give people what they like they keep coming back for more. If someone loves cat video's and you keep giving them cat video's they will watch longer. If someone loves cat video's and you serve them up parliamentary debates it is highly unlikely they will keep engaging. In a way the media platform works as a kind of shepherd. It knows people enjoy being around likeminded people so the cat people watch the same video's, the dog people watch the same videos, and people interested in making money on the stock market get investment videos.
Then the marketing comes in. If you like video's then you probably have a cat so bring up the ads for kibble. If you are watching investment video's you probably need a bank or broker so cue up those ads. A content consumer gets to hang out with likeminded people, watching the same news or clips and being fed the same ads. They get herded together like sheep and led to a trough (advertising) that makes the shepherd rich.
Polarizing the people
It is actually very nice hanging out with likeminded people. Cat people are likely to really enjoy hanging out with other cat people. Dog people typically get along well with dog people. People focused on investing often enjoy talking about finance just as mothers typically like getting tips from other mothers. However hanging out with only likeminded people tends to lead to a very narrow viewpoint. Interaction with people of varied interests, varied perspectives and varied life experiences helps other people grow more tolerant and better versed in a wide variety of things. As a simple example elderly people who hang out with younger generations tend to adapt and be less suspicious of new things. Put them in a care home without younger people around and they are much more likely to stagnate.
Let me look at a more dangerous problem though. Take dogs and cats for instance. If a dog and a cat are brought up together they are actually quite likely to get along. Dogs and cats speak different body languages and have very different behaviors but in the same household they figure each other out and learn to get along. What happens if you take a dog and cat that have NOT been around the other species. Do you think they get along? Of course not. There is a reason for the saying "Fighting like cats and dogs".
That happens with people also and unfortunately we are seeing this more and more in culture today. A prime example would be republicans vs democrats in the USA. Republicans are fed one version of the news by social media that portrays their viewpoint as correct. Democrats are fed a different version of the news by social media that shows their viewpoint as correct. Their viewpoints are polarized as black and white. Polarized as us vs them. If the algorithm gives them the opposing viewpoint they are likely to ignore it so the algorithm learns, don't give them a balanced viewpoint. What happens when you put the two together? Fighting like cats and dogs. Unfortunately today those cats and dogs have forgotten they both live under the same roof and should be getting along like family.
A little knowledge and a loud voice
Have you ever heard of the Dunning Kruger effect? It is a simple correlation that compares how much people think they know compared to how well versed they are on the topic. If a person knows nothing they will typically agree that they don't know anything about that topic. When a person starts learning about the topic and is lightly informed they typically believe they know a lot about the topic. As someone continues to learn about the topic they realize it is much bigger than they thought and thinks they know a lot less. People who are very well versed on a topic will agree they know more but also agree that there is a lot more to learn!
How much do people learn in short form content? They get enough to think they know a lot. That's a problem. If you have polarized people who have a little knowledge from their 2 minute view on a topic you tend to get a lot of people "Who know it all" who fight with their polar opposites who are also vehement that they "Know it all". After that? Let the trolling and flame wars begin.
A person hears that "Tylenol causes autism" and does a little light reading on the topic (served up by the algorithm) and they are an instant expert on the topic. Very vocal in the fight against Tylenol. If some takes the time and effort to read deeper into the studies and available information they will find that the topic is far more nuanced than their diet of short form media taught them.
Reading through actual clinical data takes time. It takes a lot of effort. It can be very boring and the exact opposite of a dopamine hit. There is absolutely no instant gratification wading through scientific research journals unless your a very special individual. However, with time and effort comes actual learning. Sitting with others who also take the time to learn and look at a problem, even from a different viewpoint, allows people to collaborate from different viewpoint and the end result. People who respect each other and truly do know about a topic.
Indeed if you go back to ancient Greece discourse for a considerable amount of time was common as it was part of the Socratic method. It led to understanding and true learning. They even had names for the length of time spend on a topic. The shortest was Dialegos for 10-20 minutes for a quick look at a topic. Ever hear of dialog? Same root and same idea. Want to look at something longer? How about a elenchus, diatribe, symposium or politeia each level being a longer look at a topic. Indeed diatribe and symposium are still words used today. Politeia? I'm guessing that is where we get politics from and we know how long they can talk for. However, even their shortest dialegos is longer than a typical YouTube short and I'm guessing even saying "Hello" would be longer than a typical modern day tweet.
TL:DR
Guess what else short form media has given us. TL:DR. The first time I saw it I had no idea what it meant. Now I know it means "Too Long, Didn't read" and then gives a brief synopsis of what the article was about. I guess attention spans are so short for many people that they just want the short version and now there is a quick code for that.
Guess what? In an article that's what the conclusion is for. Honestly though people hate reading so much they brought up the TL:DR short form.
So that is the body of the article. Points were presented to backup up my introduction and give weight to my idea that short form media is destructive. However, it is good form to wrap things up by bringing everything together. Final part of the article. A conclusion
Short form media, fun in moderation
It would be incorrect to say that short form media doesn't have a good purpose in society. Sometime a quick message is very useful. "The road is out up ahead" could be very useful information. "There is a free concert in the park today" could be equally useful. If a person is feeling down a quick dopamine fix from a funny cat video could be just what they need as a pick me up.
There are dangers in short form media to be well aware of. Just as a glass of wine at dinner can be excellent, a gallon of wine at every meal can be a very different outcome. Short form media doesn't lead to true learning, it doesn't help community cohesion and can lead to people with short attention spans and loud opinions. Taking the time to learn about a topic, listen other viewpoints and see all aspects of a problem are very important traits that take time and effort. The quick and easy route doesn't lead to the best outcome.
I didn't include anything new in the conclusion there it was just a very brief summary of what I had already covered. Answer the original topic. Give a balanced viewpoint so it doesn't seem totally negative. Tie everything together with a little before before signing off.
As I said, this article is for my son. It is how I would approach any topic. If anyone else read it and got this far. Wow! I'm honored and thank you. If my son made it this far? I'm proud that you made it this far and hopefully you learned a little something.
And as always, if you feel like leaving a comment I love hearing it.
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