Content density: Why TikToks trounce Stories

We already seek out this content density in other mediums. A tightly edited YouTube video is typically more engaging per second than a recording of a meandering live stream. A big-budget prime time show beats public access television. A methodically researched essay or deeply reported scoop beats a frantically-written hot take. A song beats a jam s... See more

The supply of micro-entertainment is constrained by the intense labor necessary to produce it. Many people don’t make this content [yet], and if they do, they make it much less frequently than social media. But supply of social media already far outstrips demand.

Under the pressure of our higher standards, we’ve learned to compress the coal of social media into diamonds of micro-entertainment.

I define Content Density as the entertainment value of a piece of content divided by its length — how many oohs, ahhs, huhs, or hahas per second.

By sorting content by quality rather than familiarity, micro-entertainment platforms also have a bigger opportunity to identify our niche interests and route that type content to us.

Creators in these niches don’t have to appeal to the lowest common denominator to viral with mainstream viewers. They can focus on delighting their smaller cadre of hardcore fans. That’s why I believe there’s a huge untapped opportunity for apps to allow micro-entertainment creators to monetize by accepting tips for recorded content, not just durin... See more

Content Density is a measure of broadcast efficiency. The higher the density, the faster and more frequently the content delivers on its purpose of being cute, informative, inspiring, impressive, alluring, or funny.