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TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

thenexus.media

11–20 of 222 posts

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#11

This post popped up a blocking window before I was even 3 sentences in, so maybe unsurprising that I clicked away in less than 60 seconds. If the author wants people to read whatever it is they have to say, maybe they should not put distractions in front of their writing?

I intentionally do not use adblockers, but when your ads either dominate the page, or prevent me from navigating, I close the tab.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#12
Too simple of a narrative. At the same time, YouTube videos are getting longer, and people are watching more YouTube videos on TVs than on mobile devices:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2025/02/12/launched-...

So I think we're seeing more of a bifurcation: in-depth longform videos are becoming 30, 40, 60, even 90 minutes long, whereas anything shorter than 10 minutes is being compressed to 30-60 seconds. The most popular video creators are doing both; even MrBeast routinely has videos over 30 minutes long.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#14
Considering that YouTube is still wildly successful and TikTok is now showing me 5+ minute long videos I really don't think this theory holds up.

I would say short-form content found a gap in the market and now exists in addition to long-form content without replacing it.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#15

For me, the worst part is that it is so hard to go back to previous forms of media. I often delete these short form content apps in an effort to quit them, but it is now so difficult to get engaged with "slower" forms of media. The thing with Tiktok isn't the length of the media, it's just how fast-paced and "catchy" it is. I could watch an hour long fast paced video just fine, but watching a slow paced show, or read…

You let your dopamine loop get hacked

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#16
> TikTok won. Now everything is 60 seconds.

It's true and it's devastating. I intentionally never signed up for TikTok because of the dangers of hyper-addictive short form content. Ultra-processed, junk food content.

But my Instagram became TikTok - so now I don't use Instagram. My YouTube is becoming TikTok - so now I don't use YouTube. Everything is implementing autoplaying short form content. X/Twitter. Reddit. etc.

TikTok won, and we're all worse off for it.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#17

This post popped up a blocking window before I was even 3 sentences in, so maybe unsurprising that I clicked away in less than 60 seconds. If the author wants people to read whatever it is they have to say, maybe they should not put distractions in front of their writing?

Wow it is that bad! It's a white full screen on-your-face message that no one asked for, and it literally appears as soon as you start reading the content!

If that wasn't ironic enough to the title of the article, upon hitting the "X" and then "Back" on my phone (because it generated enough rejection on me that I didn't want to keep reading), the popup appeared again (-: so double annoyance for the price of one.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#18

For me, the worst part is that it is so hard to go back to previous forms of media. I often delete these short form content apps in an effort to quit them, but it is now so difficult to get engaged with "slower" forms of media. The thing with Tiktok isn't the length of the media, it's just how fast-paced and "catchy" it is. I could watch an hour long fast paced video just fine, but watching a slow paced show, or read…

The first step to recovery is...

You'll get there. Go from shorter form content to things that'll grab your attention, piece by piece.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#19

Too simple of a narrative. At the same time, YouTube videos are getting longer, and people are watching more YouTube videos on TVs than on mobile devices: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2025/02/12/launched-... So I think we're seeing more of a bifurcation: in-depth longform videos are becoming 30, 40, 60, even 90 minutes long, whereas anything shorter than 10 minutes is being compressed to 30-60 seconds. The…

Came here to say exactly this. People also listen to individual podcast episodes that clock in at 2 or 3 hours, and are hugely popular.

Movies are getting longer at the cinema too -- what used to be 85 minutes is now 150 minutes.

TikTok has not "won" at all. There's a place for content of all different lengths. The death of the attention span has been greatly exaggerated.

Re: TikTok has turned culture into a feedback loop of impulse and machine learning

#20

Too simple of a narrative. At the same time, YouTube videos are getting longer, and people are watching more YouTube videos on TVs than on mobile devices: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2025/02/12/launched-... So I think we're seeing more of a bifurcation: in-depth longform videos are becoming 30, 40, 60, even 90 minutes long, whereas anything shorter than 10 minutes is being compressed to 30-60 seconds. The…

I won't even look at a youtube video essay about an obscure vintage RPG (my preferred form of guilty pleasure viewing) if it's under 20 minutes long.
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