Scroll any social feed today and you’ll notice one thing: everything is moving. Static images are being pushed aside by short, vertical, full-screen videos. From TikTok to Instagram Reels via YouTube Shorts, short-form video has quietly (and then very bruyamment) taken control of the internet.
But how did we get here so fast? Why do these formats captivate us so much? And, surtout, what does it mean if you’re a brand, a creator, or just someone trying not to drown in the algorithmic tsunami?
Let’s unpack what’s really going on behind the vertical video revolution.
The rise of short-form video: a perfect storm
Short-form video didn’t appear out of nowhere. It’s the result of three major forces converging:
- Smartphones with good cameras in every pocket
- Unlimited (or almost) mobile data and Wi-Fi
- Algorithms optimized for engagement, not for relationships
TikTok is the platform that crystallized this shift. Launched internationally in 2018, it passed 1 billion monthly active users in about four years — a speed that even Facebook and Instagram never reached.
The formula is simple on la surface:
- Vertical video, full screen
- 15 seconds to 60 seconds (then 3 minutes, now even 10 minutes)
- A feed driven 100% by recommendation, not by who you follow
This structure has completely changed how we consume and produce content. You don’t need to follow someone to see their video. If the algorithm thinks you’ll like it, it shows it to you. That’s a radical difference from the “friends and family” model that built Facebook and Instagram.
From TikTok to Reels and Shorts: copy, paste, optimize
Once TikTok exploded, the other giants had two options: ignore it… or copy it. No suspense: they copied.
Instagram launched Reels in 2020. YouTube launched Shorts in 2021. Even Snapchat and Pinterest integrated TikTok-style feeds. The playbook is almost identical:
- A dedicated vertical video tab
- Endless scrolling
- Music library and basic editing tools
- Massive algorithmic push for early adopters
Why such urgency? Because attention has shifted. According to several platform reports and independent studies:
- On Instagram, Reels generate more reach on average than photo posts for comparable accounts.
- On YouTube, Shorts are now getting over 70 billion views per day globally (YouTube figures). Yes, per day.
- For Gen Z, TikTok is often used as much as (or more than) Google for discovering products or tutorials.
In other words: if you want to exist on social platforms today, short-form video is no longer an option; it’s the entry ticket.
Why our brains are addicted to short videos
We could blame “people who have no attention span anymore”, but the reality is more nuanced. Short-form video exploits a few well-known psychological levers:
- Instant reward: You know within 2–3 seconds if a video interests you. If not, a swipe, and you get another one.
- Dopamine on demand: A joke, a visual surprise, a transformation, a tip — each micro-content gives a small shot of satisfaction.
- Low cognitive load: No need to read a long text or follow a complex narrative. The storyline is short, visual, and emotionally clear.
- Randomness: You don’t know what’s coming next. This “slot machine” side is extremely powerful for keeping you hooked.
The result? Users spend an impressive amount of time on these feeds. TikTok users, for instance, average close to 1.5 to 2 hours per day on the app in many markets. When a format captures that much daily attention, every platform will try to replicate it.
Does that mean we’re all doomed to think in 8-second fragments? Not exactly. Long-form content is not dying; it’s being re-framed. A 45-minute YouTube documentary, a podcast episode, or an in-depth newsletter still has its place. But very often… the discovery happens via a 30-second clip on a short-form feed.
Short-form video as a discovery engine
Think of TikTok, Reels, and Shorts as the new homepage of the internet. Not a destination where we go to find something specific, but a conveyor belt of possibilities passing in front of us.
For creators and brands, this changes everything.
- On YouTube, Shorts can act as an entry point to longer videos on your channel.
- On Instagram, Reels boost your visibility beyond your followers and lead users to your profile, Stories, or bio link.
- On TikTok, a 20-second video can send traffic to your website, newsletter, or product page via the link in bio or TikTok Shop.
A pattern is appearing across successful strategies:
- One core idea → multiple short cuts: a webinar becomes ten clips. A blog post becomes three quick tips in video.
- Short first, long later: users discover you through short-form content, then gradually commit to your deeper material.
- Editing for “hook first”: the essential information or the best moment comes at the beginning, not at the end.
The platforms reward this behavior with reach. For a similar effort, a photo or a classic text post will rarely have the same organic amplification in 2025 as a well-structured short video.
What works (and what doesn’t) in short-form video
Not all short videos are created equal. You’ve probably noticed it in your feed: some clips hold your attention instantly, others feel like pure noise.
Across platforms, a few patterns emerge among high-performing videos:
- A strong hook in the first 2–3 seconds: a question, a bold statement, a visual surprise, a “before/after”.
- One idea per video: no digressions, no context-heavy intro. Short-form video hates rambling.
- Native format: vertical 9:16, full screen, subtitles (most people watch on mute), clean audio.
- Clear value: entertain me, educate me, or inspire me — but don’t waste my time.
By contrast, here’s what tends to flop:
- Recycled landscape videos with black bars on top and bottom
- Videos that take 10 seconds to get to the point
- Over-produced content that feels like an ad before giving any value
- Confusing topics without visual support or structure
Short doesn’t mean sloppy. The best creators obsess over details: pacing, transitions, on-screen text, and even micro-pauses in their speech to keep the rhythm engaging.
Brands: adapt or disappear from the feed
For brands, the short-form wave is both a challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge? Traditional marketing reflexes don’t work well in this environment. A thirty-second TV-style ad simply repackaged as a Reel rarely performs. Users expect something that looks and feels like content, not like advertising.
The opportunity? A small team with a smartphone can now compete for attention with much bigger players, if they understand the codes. Some approaches that work particularly well:
- Behind the scenes: show your process, your mistakes, your prototypes, your daily life.
- Educational snippets: micro-tutorials, FAQs answered in 20 seconds, quick demos.
- UGC and creators: invite your community or creators to produce native content with your product.
- Fast testing: publish several variations of an idea and keep only what truly resonates.
A useful mindset shift: stop thinking “campaigns” and start thinking “continuous publishing”. On short-form platforms, you don’t win with one big video; you win with consistent output and iterative improvement.
The dark side: attention traps and creative burnout
It would be dishonest to talk about short-form video without looking at its limits.
On the user side, the risk is obvious: hours can vanish in a blur of content that you barely remember. The mix of infinite scroll + algorithmic personalization + variable reward is designed to keep you swiping. Some studies already suggest degraded attention and increased distraction, especially in younger audiences exposed very early to these feeds.
On the creator side, another problem appears: burnout. The pressure to publish frequently, to “play the algorithm”, to chase views metric by metric, can quickly become exhausting. When you need to post a new video every day (or several times a day) just to maintain your visibility, the creative process can turn into a factory line.
And then there’s the question of depth. Can complex topics really be treated in 30 seconds? Sometimes yes, via hooks that lead to more detailed content. But if everything is reduced to “3 hacks to…” or “You’re doing X wrong”, we risk flattening nuance.
So, what to do? As often in digital life, the answer is not to reject the tool, but to decide how to use it intentionally.
Using short-form video intelligently
Whether you’re a solo creator, a startup, or a larger brand, a few principles can help you use short-form video without being swallowed by it.
1. Define your role in the feed
Ask yourself: When someone comes across your video without knowing you, what should they take away?
- A clear expertise?
- A particular aesthetic or humor?
- A specific promise (learn X, feel Y, discover Z)?
Clarity on this point will guide your content and make it easier for the algorithm to understand who to show you to.
2. Think “series”, not isolated videos
Instead of posting random ideas each time, structure your content in recurring formats:
- “One tip in 20 seconds” every Monday
- “Myth vs Reality” mini-episodes
- “Before/After” transformations with the same structure
Series make production easier, help users know what to expect, and improve your chances of creating a recognizable style.
3. Link short and long
Short-form video is extremely powerful to initiate contact. But to build a real relationship, you’ll need deeper touchpoints:
- Longer YouTube videos
- A newsletter
- A podcast
- A blog (yes, like this one)
Use your shorts to redirect toward these spaces where you control the format and the relationship.
4. Protect your creative and mental space
Set boundaries:
- Plan your production in batches instead of improvising every day
- Limit your own passive consumption time on these apps
- Define success metrics beyond views: saves, comments, clicks, sign-ups, sales
You’re not a hamster in the algorithm’s wheel. Or, at least, you don’t have to be.
What’s next after TikTok and Reels?
Short-form video won’t disappear tomorrow. But it will evolve. Several trends are already emerging:
- More shoppable content: platforms are increasingly integrating direct purchases into videos (TikTok Shop, Instagram Shopping, YouTube product tagging).
- More AI in creation: automatic editing tools, AI avatars, audio clean-up, script generation — production will become easier and faster.
- More segmentation: niche communities forming around specific topics, formats, and styles, even within the same platform.
- Hybrid formats: mixes of short and long where you watch a 15-second clip that seamlessly opens into a longer sequence if you want more.
At the same time, it’s likely that we’ll see some regulatory and cultural pushback:
- Questions around the impact of endless scroll on mental health
- Potential age restrictions or usage limits for younger audiences
- A growing demand for content that slows down, explains, and contextualizes
We are therefore heading towards a more complex ecosystem, where short-form will remain the dominant gateway, but not the only format that matters.
Where to start if you’re late to the party
If all this makes you feel “behind”, breathe. Yes, the short-form train is going fast, but it’s still possible to jump on board without copying everything TikTok does.
Here’s a pragmatic starting roadmap:
- Pick one platform (TikTok if you want maximum discovery, Instagram if you already have a base there, YouTube if you think video-first).
- Define 2–3 content pillars (for example: education, behind-the-scenes, and customer stories).
- Commit to a realistic rhythm (e.g. 2–3 videos per week for 8 weeks).
- Observe what works in your niche without copying blindly. Take note of:
- The first sentence used as hook
- The duration (often 15–30 seconds)
- The type of value offered
- Iterate based on data: completion rate, saves, shares, profile visits are better signals than raw views.
Think of this not as “jumping on a trend”, but as learning a new language — the language that now dominates much of the internet.
Because that’s the key point: from TikTok to Reels via Shorts, short-form video is not just a format. It’s a new grammar of attention.
If you understand how it works — its strengths, its limits, its impact on your own behavior — you can decide how to use it rather than simply being used by it.
And in a digital world where every swipe is a choice, that kind of awareness is, perhaps, the most valuable asset you can have.
— Lili Moreau