Ill On The Internet - Why Watching Short Form Video Content Feels like Gambling or Smoking

+ are photos back on IG?

Welcome back my lovely readers,

This week we are going to talk all things short form video and how that impacts our wellbeing, as well as how this may have led to the return of the static image!

Speaking of static images and the joy of them I want to say a huge thank you to my friends at Kamerastore in Finland for supporting this week’s newsletter and keeping analog cameras alive and available to us all worldwide. If you are looking for a new camera or lens - look no further than Kamerastore and get a 10% discount by using this link.

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Short Form Video Is Dying - Here’s Why

Okay so dying is probably a strong word and somewhat wishful thinking, but something has definitely changed on Instagram and in the general culture online.

A lot of you reading are here because you are so over the onslaught of 20 second clips that literally feel like your brain is rotting with every new face that pops up telling us we are going to die, who we should vote for, or even just what to make for dinner tonight.

I’m tired. Your tired. The internet has had a gutfull, finally.

I believe we are hitting a breaking point where we can no longer sustain this unhealthy habit of consuming such empty content one after the other. Over consumption of looping videos can feel like overeating candy or chocolate, leaving you with a feeling of regret and sickness.

I still have and use Instagram, but I know a lot of you have ditched it and that is why you are here on Substack, to seek refuge on the internet and actively use your brain, not just feed it with hyper intense, manically edited, short videos that have zero nuance to them.

I use Instagram mainly to talk to people in the DM’s and this is something I enjoy. I do still, out of habit, open the app and look at the feed though. I feel like a trained monkey clicking the little circles to view people’s stories or scroll down in the feed to “see what everyone is up to” which is a total fallacy because it’s just a bunch of strangers either getting dressed, cooking dinner, or taking photos. I actually enjoy these three things immensely but not in meaningless 20 second bursts.

I want to know why you like those clothes or how you came to put the outfit together.

I want to know, at a reasonable pace not a double speed one, how you cooked the recipe and why.

I want to either just see your photos, not have them splattered at me for one second at a time, or really immerse myself in your photo taking experience.

I still sometimes come up with concepts that I think would be cool or cute for the short form vertical but it often feels like trying to fit a square into a circle when putting it into practise.

It just all feels more and more useless everyday and it’s starting to even feel icky, like I’m engaging in an activity akin to smoking or gambling. One that serves no positive purpose whatsoever, no matter how hard I try and justify it. One that is impinging on my mental health. An activity that I engage in when I feel anxious but that is causing damage, just like a cigarette.

I think the whole internet is starting to feel like this too.

The consequence is a return to the static image, the literal stillness of it is soothing. I beam when I see a carousel post from someone I enjoy because I can snuggle in and swipe across at my own pace, I can let my mind read between the lines and fill in the gaps as opposed to having to process moving images, audio, subtitles and fifty different cuts happening all at once.

An image is something you can mull over, spend time with and appreciate and I just can’t say the same for any type of short from video content I’ve seen, well, ever.

Long form video, yes, I can name countless times that has soothed me, made me laugh, made me cry, taught me something, inspired me, helped me make decisions, learn how to swaddle my baby or breastfeed, or roast a chicken, or load 120 film.

It’s fucking useful, and it’s giving us and the creator the time they need. the time we all deserve to be respected. It’s layered and fleshed out and that’s why YouTube and podcasts, blog posts etc. have stood the test of time.

Me wondering what the fuck happened to Instagram in the last few years. Shot on Portra 160.

Obviously the world is full of short form content and I’m sure a whole slew of people will continue to watch it and not think twice about it’s inherently flawed and unhealthy nature, but I do think the tide has shifted a little and we are seeing somewhat of a revolt against it, even if it is in small sections and groups, slowly shifting away from what had become a staple in our online diet.

Personally I have been posting more photos lately and I’m both pleased and surprised to report that those posts of 10-12 images are seeing much higher views than the short form videos I cut from longer form content that usually snip out the most salacious section. Curious, isn’t it?

Well I’m no social media trend reporter and I haven’t been following along with that guy with the glasses who tells us all what to post, but it seems that perhaps the short from fatigue is a widespread issue and we’ve all just overdone it on the junk content and are ready to regulate with a healthy plate full of Substack posts and YouTube videos?

Could this be the return to form that all of us have been wanting to see from Instagram? A platform that was once photo only and photographers fell in love with and did well on.

Or is that just a pipe dream and the pendulum has swung so far to the video side that we will go on mourning those early Instagram days forever?

Or do we even care anymore?

Are we just over it altogether and have given up?

I know we think that, but I feel like Instagram is like the bad boyfriend that we ward off but then somehow end up texting back, suddenly right back where we started despite our firm promises to ourselves and others.

There is a level of nostalgia and emotion connected to the platform for a lot of us and it can be hard to break up with Instagram!

All I know is that I don’t get anything out of scrolling on there anymore and I aim to replace the built in automated habit of opening the app when I pick up my phone with, literally anything else.

Tell me though, do you feel the same? Where do you stand on this hypothesis about short form fatigue and where do you see the future of platforms and online behaviour headed?

For more raw and unfiltered thoughts on creativity, content creation and building a career online you can upgrade to a paid subscription to get access to a monthly audio newsletter + a book club to help keep you from scrolling on Instagram ; )

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