Video killed the radio star…again

No.116

Monday 10 October

Hi, it's David here.

I’ll keep it short because according to our Community Manager, Marielle, Zoomers have a very short attention span.

As always, curious to hear what you think.

David Alberts

Co-Founder at?BeenThereDoneThat

Hi, it's Marielle here.

Below are 800 words on TikTok algorithms… or would you just prefer a quick video? Well, if print is not dead then my brain cells surely are, as this week my phone gave me the bone chilling realisation that my average usage had increased to 3.5 hours a day and we can presume most of that was not my emails.

But can you blame me? TikTok has permeated the walls of society, invaded cultures, hijacked conversations and seeped into the inner workings of my Millennial brain in particular. But is this a generational problem? The likelihood is, that if you have found yourself starting a sentence with?"I was reading this article…"?whilst quietly thinking?"it was definitely a TikTok'',?you may fall into a similar age bracket.

As a generation of Millennials approach their 30’s and 40’s, GenZ now find themselves holding the social media torch (RIP Myspace) and currently amass 60% of TikTok’s global audience.

This is a remarkable feat considering they had almost 1.2 billion active monthly users in Q4 of 2021, with estimates reaching 1.8 billion by the end of 2022. And incredibly,?40% of Gen Z users would prefer to use TikTok as their primary search engine over Google.

There is an evident shift in how this generation is choosing to consume content, as they move away from?"Googling it"?and further towards?"TikToking it".?Research shows that GenZ’s have an average attention span of 8 seconds and can gather enough information required from a video in an average of 10 seconds. Because why read when you can watch?

Again, can you blame them? They are the first generation to be raised in a technology obsessed culture and have lived the entirety of their lives online. If we are truly products of our environment, then it’s no surprise Gen Z’s feel the need to inject their media.

However the key issue with primarily absorbing content through social media is users’ susceptibility to falling into smaller pockets of the app, where their views are rarely challenged. An ‘echo chamber’ subjects audiences to "information or opinions that only reflect and reinforce their own" and are the?antithesis of diverse thinking.

Undeniably, TikTok’s ability to learn about its users is incredible. Its algorithms are continuously curating and refining an everlasting stream of videos, until it achieves the perfect blend of content. And through this ability to learn, it is able to gauge the user’s appetite for certain themes and genres.

This summer I was trying to curb my?actual?appetite, as I embarked on the heinously predictable ‘get fit for summer’ regime. Within a week the app had adapted to my newfound interests, I was being fed (not literally) with more drastic ‘before and after’ transformations whilst simultaneously learning about the wonders of a calorie deficit. The advice was unhealthy, but the results, undeniable.

I was being ambushed from all angles by what celebrities ‘ate in a day’, and I began berating myself for breaking the gospel of Gwyneth Paltrow i.e. opting out of a smoothie for lunch. (I’m sorry to break it to you Gwyneth, but if it don’t crunch, it ain’t lunch.) In under?2 weeks, I had left the sanctity of my cat videos, and had nestled into a darker pocket of the app where my interests had become obsessions.

TikTok echo chambers exist for all subgenres, and of course these niches do have their positives as algorithms aid users in unlocking online communities and new interests. However, as with most facets of internet culture, there is a darker side.?‘Thinspiration’?refers to a genre of videos created to ‘inspire’ audiences to lose weight. A recent survey suggests that these videos cause catalytic effects to those recovering from eating disorders. In fact, 80% of those surveyed said that recent ‘thinspo’ trends have had a negative impact on their recovery.

There is a clear duality between the brilliance of the algorithm's ability to learn about its users’ interests, whilst simultaneously cocooning them in these thoughts - a constant stream to mirror your consciousness. The problem is clear: echo chambers exhibit quite literally no diversity of thought. The algorithm finds users’ safe bubbles and reverberates more of the same - this is something that we need to challenge.

We believe that different perspectives are the route to more holistic solutions and this is the foundation on which we have built our entire business. We are continually experimenting with how to evolve our model, most recently with our RoundTable format. Clearly, in our ever growing digital world, the art of conversation is not yet dead, as we continually witness the exponential power of bringing three opinions around a table to do something intrinsically human… converse with one another. Restoring our faith in human intelligence, rather than artificial intelligence.

We know that to truly solve a problem, it’s an alchemy of minds which will find the solution and luckily for us, not a two minute clip.

As always, we are curious to hear what you think.

Marielle Phillips

Community Manager at?BeenThereDoneThat

[email protected]

1. Move Over Google. TikTok Is the Go-To Search Engine for Gen Z

Read Time: 2m

How GenZ are turning away from the search engine gods and opting for a TikTok alternative.

Read

2. Reaching Zoomers: Top Marketing Techniques For Appealing To Generation Z

Read Time: 4m

You have roughly 8 seconds to grab their attention, here’s how.

Read

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3. Tumblr Eating Disorder Culture Has Made it to TikTok

Read Time: 3m

‘Thinspiration’ - inspiring a generation of dangerous patterns.

Read

4. The TikTok Subcultures Shaping Fashion Right Now

Read Time: 12m

Indie Sleaze? Regencycore? Maximalism? Confused? Understand the TikTok subcultures, shaping fashion right now.

Read

We'd love to hear what you thought about this newsletter! Reply in the comments below or reach out to us! To find out more about BeenThereDoneThat, connect with us on?LinkedIn ?or visit our?Website . If you'd like to receive The School of Athens weekly newsletter on every Friday directly to your inbox, subscribe?here .