Be the Red Skittle of Content
Social media has changed us. The way we learn, think, speak and imbibe information has been amended fundamentally. With the barrage of information on the internet serving distractions in abundance, attention has become a scarce commodity. Statistically, attention spans have reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds. It stands to reason that the life span of trends have become discernibly shorter in the last 20 years.
In a place where everything is instantaneous and delayed gratification feels like a distant memory, there’s a new kid on the block capturing everyone’s sparse attention – micro-content. This form of content represents a paradigm shift in how we communicate. Language is ever evolving and these morsels of visual media now dictate how we ingest information. Memes, stories, geo/face filters, Tik Tok videos, Tweets, and the like, catalysed effortless communication. It introduced a never before seen ease in establishing social inclusivity through constructs of self and group identity, pop culture and ideologies. All this with minimal content.
So why does micro-content work? The answer is as obvious as a brightly coloured stain – it effectively combats disengagement. From the dawn of the memes to the torrential shower of reels, users have made their choice clear – keep it simple. Micro-content offers nuggets of knowledge to conveniently hold, in creative and appealing formats. It doesn’t require any deep investment from the audience, but offers endless information.
Yes, we get the irony. Let’s move on.
This of course brings us to the debate of short form content v. long form content. Like that favourite childhood toy we just never picked up again, is long-form content gone for good? Do we trust the lips with the downward curve of the righteous that tell us short form content is the death of real writing and literature? While there are undertones of truth to both arguments, things aren’t so black and white.
For us, there is no predilection to any form in particular… if that isn’t obvious already. They both work just fine. Clearly, however, micro-content has a starting advantage inherent to its name. How then, do we keep long form relevant? While it may seem as though we are flogging a dead horse here, the most essential pearl of wisdom is this – engaging the audience is everything. Authenticity is rare, but precious. Out with the fluff. Ensure you don’t crumble at the weight of our own information. Find creative ways (ranging from bullet points to colourful visuals to graphics) to display content. Your ideas, context, and user intent play a huge role. People who are interested in a subject, will always go the extra mile and make an effort to learn about it in-depth. However, you best believe they’re scrolling past you if their patience is tested.
So in a pack of insipid content, be like the red skittle everyone keeps going back for.
