Previously, a lot of short-form video content lacked a format. Creators were obsessed with aiming for one-off viral hits that attract large audiences. The problem is that variability is incredibly hard and without a format, the audiences are usually drive-by. Now we’re seeing well-structured ideas that are still short-form, but thanks to the... See more

Whether the starting point is a student directory (Facebook), radio, or an AI image generator, the end point seems to be the same: a river of short-form video. In mathematics, the word “attractor” describes a state toward which a dynamic system tends to evolve. To take a classic example: Drop a marble into a bowl, and it will trace several loops... See more

Reels — or TikToks — are a more elaborate, harder-to-make format, where creativity, talent, and effort matter much more. The intended audience, at least on TikTok, isn’t really your friends or existing followers, but really the chance of hitting it big through the app’s algorithmic recommendation engine. It has become a creative scene, more like... See more