Are we in a throwaway media world where short form content reigns supreme?

In our last blog we briefly mentioned how everyone is a prosumer (a producer and consumer of content) and how almost anyone can create content and share it online but has this led to an under appreciation for the content captured itself. With so much content uploaded every second how much of it is actually consumed and interacted with and does it bring value. If so what is value in this context.

We have seen the rise of short form content from TikTok through to Instagram and Youtube shorts where content is uploaded, viewed and almost seen to disappear, where content is shared and frequently forgotten about in fairly rapid succession. This content could be seen as disposable content but should it be? Even though a lot of the content we create and consume is digital in nature it is not without impact on the world be it changing peoples opinions or otherwise showcasing peoples skills, time and effort spent through to the often overlooked environmental impact that digital content actually has on power resources, storage facilities and increase in purchase of equipment that ultimately may end up in landfill for views and likes.

I want to challenge everyone who reads this blog post to think about what content they create and consume and think about the work that has gone into it, the impact it may have or wether it brings value and your own definition of what that value may be.

There is a place for short form throwaway content and a reason it is on average the most viewed content due to ease of access and face it does not ask its viewers to commit a lengthy amount of active viewing time per piece but does it also help re-enforce the idea of a fast paced world where instant results are expected and content being on demand is enough. These are questions I ask myself as I scroll through instagram and YouTube videos daily and find myself watching less and less long form media.