Short-Form Videos

With the rapid advancements of technology, short-form videos are becoming more prevalent, to the extent of being an integral part of our daily lives. Ever seen someone on their phone swiping and scrolling endlessly? They are probably engaging in short-form entertainment. Social media platforms for short-form videos include Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok. Many argue that these videos are rich in content, interactive and effective. My stand is that short-form entertainment is not the most effective way of learning.

Firstly, short-form videos’ infinite scroll allows us to be passive learners. This increases our desire for instant gratification and decreases our attention span, making it harder to absorb knowledge. Over-reliance on fast-paced entertainment will affect our critical thinking ability. Traditional and systematic learning, such as pen and paper, requires time and effort, training us to be more focussed and active learners. Active learning includes deep thinking, discussing and problem solving. Active learning leads to “improved critical thinking skills, increased retention and transfer of new information, increased motivation and improved interpersonal skills.” (Source: University of Minnesota) Therefore, short-form videos are not effective due to passive learning, which results in a lack of holistic understanding of a subject.

Secondly, there is misleading, inaccurate or false information on the internet. More often than not, video creators are not experts in the field. Creators may focus on marketing content that appeals to their audience. More effort may be spent garnering views and likes rather than curating the content, sometimes to the extent of clickbait. “Clickbait typically refers to the practice of writing sensationalised or misleading headlines and captions in order to attract clicks on a piece of content. It often relies on exaggerating claims or leaving out key information in order to encourage traffic.” (Source: CoSchedule) Moreover, short-form videos may oversimplify complex topics, omitting crucial information. Some sources are biased, appealing to a specific audience, or even distorting the truth. This is due to the verifications on social media platforms which many creators bypass. In contrast, traditional books are much more reliable. These books are written by experts and verified by publishers. Libraries have to approve of these books too before adding them to their shelves. Therefore, short-form videos may not be reliable, making learning ineffective.

Thirdly, the algorithm of social media applications lead to one-sided videos being shown. “A social media algorithm is an automated calculation that decides which social media posts make it to the top of your feed and which don’t.” (Source: StoryChief) The recommendations that platforms push are personalised and curated. The more we engage in a type of content, the more of it will appear on our feed. This prevents us from understanding varied perspectives of an issue. We might develop a fixed mindset, unable to wholly understand the subject. For example, in recent elections, social media plays a huge role in campaigning. Some people only interact with content of a certain political viewpoint. The algorithm does not recommend content of the opposite viewpoint. This results in having a narrow viewpoint of the whole situation. Therefore, one-sided videos recommended by the algorithm makes learning ineffective.

All in all, short-form videos are interactive, efficient and concise and many people find it easier to absorb information. However, there are many limitations of short-form videos, reducing the effectiveness of learning through them. Traditional books may be less accessible, but they are much more reliable, less biased and promote active learning. This way we train our critical thinking, analysis and problem solving skills. Besides, I believe that learning is meant to be a long and fruitful process, not just a fast-paced passive activity. While we can continue browsing short-form videos, we should not forget to read deeper and gain insight from other sources of information. 

Carys

Secondary 3 Purity

2025