Sarah Wang

Short form content is captivating but can be harmful. A narrative that goes viral is usually simple, short and compelling: it tells you what to know and exactly how to feel about it, no further nuance acknowledged, which erodes the critical thinking skills and media literacy habits of users who consume hours of short form media on a regular basis.

Short form content has surged in popularity for its convenience and attention-grabbing appeal. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels and X, attract millions—and in TikTok’s case, one billion—users. 

Microblogging and short videos distribute knowledge concisely and en masse, but I believe their limited formats perpetuate flawed, reductive information. 

Informative content loses context and complexity when it is compressed to fit short formats. TikTok videos average around 43 seconds, and X posts are limited to 280 characters. This brevity may not be a pressing issue for jokes or entertainment, but less than a minute isn’t enough time to provide a complete view on nuanced topics.

For instance, news often spreads via social media platforms, but I find it can be misrepresented by short clips.

After the vice presidential debate on Oct. 1, various news outlets and supporters of both parties uploaded minute-long snippets from the debate. These three TikTok videos, which are pro-Trump/Vance, pro-Harris/Walz and neutral, capture the exact same moment: when VP candidate JD Vance was fact-checked by CBS moderators for his comments on Springfield, Ohio. The only visible difference between the posts is that they have different captions and cut-off times. 

When that brief clip was stripped of its context, it could then be tweaked to suit three different messages. I think a single piece of evidence can be interpreted and applied in multiple ways, but none of these videos provided enough facts for viewers to form their own informed opinions. That would require explaining context and offering each side a good-faith defense — more than an incendiary caption. A 40-second clip and a one-sentence description simply cannot convey that level of depth.

I believe short form content also exposes viewers to creator bias and manufactured outrage. Media designed to provoke strong or bitter emotional responses are more likely to be watched and shared. Short form creators can more easily propagate flimsy, but emotional narratives without the logically sound supporting information that would be expected in long-form content.

Short form content is captivating but can be harmful. A narrative that goes viral is usually simple, short and compelling: it tells you what to know and exactly how to feel about it, with no further nuance acknowledged, which erodes the critical thinking skills and media literacy habits of users who consume hours of short form media on a regular basis.

In the age of information, internet clips are powerful. Fifty-four percent of U.S. adults check the news via social media. Online news consumption is even more prevalent among high schoolers, as 77% of teens use social media to view news and headlines. Short form media occupies a significant portion of online news, as over half of TikTok and X users receive news from those platforms on a regular basis.

To navigate the uncertain reliability of information on the internet, especially when context is so often incomplete, we must foster a critical eye and social media literacy. That includes cross-referencing across sources, fact-checking and pausing to research or verify ideas before sharing them with other people. Practicing media literacy may not be convenient or all that engaging, but they are essential to developing a balanced and accurate perspective of the world.