TikTok videos, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlights — these days, it feels like every app has its own version of vertical, short-form content. With Disney+ soon to add vertical videos, it seems vertical media, which is often suited to short-form content, has become unescapable.
But how exactly did we get here?
How Short-Form Took Over
In the early stages of social media, photos were the main source of posting content. Short-form content really joined the conversation when Vine launched in January 2013. The app’s six-second-long videos created iconic memes and influencers in its short three years of life. When Musical.ly came along in 2014, and soon after apps like Instagram and Snapchat entered the mix, the short-form video found its place in digital culture.
Since then, we’ve seen the newest generations flock to the internet, creating and watching social media videos whilst slowly migrating away from traditional content. Many have traded in 30-minute TV episodes and hour-long movies for minuscule vertical stories that keep us doomscrolling.
What is at stake without long-form content?
To be clear, there is nothing necessarily wrong with how short form the media is becoming. The problem is when long-form content begins to suffer as a result, and we start to lose the core element of global entertainment culture. Whether it is a feature documentary, a trilogy of novels, or a podcast episode, these formats allow for in-depth exploration and imagination. Audiences get to sit down, take in a story and experience a journey with them. Simply put, thorough characters, slower pacing, and the general satisfaction of seeing a story all work out are not capable in a 10-second video.
Imagining a world where people refuse to watch a movie in full but instead consume it in 20 separate parts on a social media app may seem humorous, but it’s also quite unsettling. What happens when children miss out on the core themes we learn from Disney movies? Or when teenagers don’t spend their evenings watching a film at the theatre, such as an immersive long-form experience?
To me, long-form media is more than just entertainment created for profit. It teaches patience, knowing not everything comes immediately — sometimes we must sit quietly and watch it all unfold. This is not a cry for you to get off TikTok or deactivate any social media account. It’s simply a reminder to continue consuming the content you grew up with.
So turn on your TV, head to your local theatre, or open that 500-page book. It may be difficult at first, but I promise the journey will be worth it.