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

thenexus.media

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

#181

Post by aucisson_masque »

atlintots wrote: post #8

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…

What if you are reading an interesting book ? I think it would be a great way to train your attention to the level it used to be.

And if you can’t even do that, I suggest you start reading a book right before sleeping until you pass out. Every night. You will fall asleep extremely fast at beginning but I managed to get back to reading while having extreme difficulty concentrating from a completely different illness than TikTok. It only took 2 years.

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

#183

Post by engeljohnb »

echelon wrote: post #85
xhrpost wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I watched a 2 hour video on the history of computer RPGs, I think it was specific to DND, and found it captivating. Would also like to hear your recs.

I hate this bifurcation. I almost never want 2-hour documentary style videos, yet 1-minute teasers leave me even more dissatisfied. I want 5-minute to 15-minute videos. They can be either overviews or summaries that cover broad stretches or super focused essays that go deeply in depth on just a singular hyper-focused point. Long-form typically means opinionated and written for a lay audience. Filled with unnecessary…

10-15 minute videos are usually nothing more than an extended /r/todayilearned post. I'm not interested in learning some new trivia, I like it when the videos are structured and detailed in a way that makes it flow like a narrative. Although some creators (like Quinton Reviews) pad with unnecessary fluff, most of the really popylar ones (Hbomberguy, Lemino, Jenny Nicholson, Lindsay Ellis, Summoning Salt) don't.

You could argue that anything except the thesis statement is a "waste of time," but the videos are for entertainment at the end of the day.It wouldn't entertaining for someone to say "The Oof sound in Roblox was invented by Joey Kuras for a game called Messiah. Tommy Tallarico says he made it but he probably didn't." then the video ends.

What is fun is watching a long deep-dive pulling apart all the ridiculous lies and exaggerations of a fascinating narcissist like Tallarico.

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

#184

Post by jondwillis »

cvoss wrote: post #35
atlintots wrote: post #8

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…

Try going a whole day (like a Saturday) without consuming any digital media. It can be a challenging experience, but totally worth it, even if just once, to feel what it's like to not be tied to such things. I found it very relaxing and freeing. No YT, FB, IG, TT, or TV for sure. For an extra challenge, try no music (except what you can make yourself) or news (including HN). You'll find yourself grabbing your phone o…

I would run out of stuff to do within an hour or two. Which is the point. I’d have to get into new stuff that isn’t phone or laptop.

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

#185

Post by ziml77 »

monadoid wrote: post #88
keiferski wrote: post #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…

I think HN is getting old - nobody has mentioned second screen viewing! imo, youtube videos are getting longer because everyone is just turning stuff on in the background while they're on their phones.

That's what I do. But heck, that's what I've always done. In the 90 and 00s I would have the TV on while I was messing around on the PC, playing my Game Boy, or heck even while doing homework.

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

#186

Post by jondwillis »

jerf wrote: post #36
atlintots wrote: post #8

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…

Try the video speed adjustments. Most sites offer 2x now. Up to 4x is getting around, and that's generally going to be past what most people can understand for speech, even with practice. I do a lot of YouTube long-form content but I do a lot of it at 2x or even 2.5x. There's also a lot of such things that are effectively podcasts with irrelevant video backgrounds, or only rarely relevant video, so you can do somethi…

There are browser settings (or browser extensions) that restore “vanilla” media controls, which enables a lot of stuff that gets broken or disabled in vain otherwise. Playback rate is one of these.

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

#187

Post by echelon »

Yokolos wrote: post #168
echelon wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is few creators do cater to this. Maybe we'll get AI summarizers for video soon.

I still see plenty of videos that are around 15-20 minutes long.

Great content tends not to be that length because great creators are incentivized to make longer content.

Perverse incentives.

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

#188

Post by ziml77 »

skizm wrote: post #89
mrtksn wrote: post #53

Yea, because it's a superior format. I love YouTube but my problem with the content of YouTube is that almost all videos are introducing you to everything every time. For example, there's this science video about this interesting property of fire right? They start with what's fire, when it was invented, what led to be studied this way and then they deliver the money shot. It is O.K. to be introduced to a topic once b…

Wadsworth Constant. Skip to 30% of any video that seems like they're dragging out the intro.

Or install SponsorBlock. One of the things people can submit other than sponsor segments is the most interesting point in the video. Basically, whatever is teased in the thumbnail or what directly answers the question posed in the video title.

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

#189

Post by kjkjadksj »

skizm wrote: post #89
mrtksn wrote: post #53

Yea, because it's a superior format. I love YouTube but my problem with the content of YouTube is that almost all videos are introducing you to everything every time. For example, there's this science video about this interesting property of fire right? They start with what's fire, when it was invented, what led to be studied this way and then they deliver the money shot. It is O.K. to be introduced to a topic once b…

Wadsworth Constant. Skip to 30% of any video that seems like they're dragging out the intro.

Youtube now shows you the peaks where most people skip towards

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

#190

Post by deepfriedchokes »

moduspol wrote: post #79
quxbar wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I prefer my movie reviews to be longer in duration than the movies themselves.

Are you an English Lit teacher?
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