[Youngju Heo's Column] The Dual Nature of 'Short-Form' Videos: An Addictive Experience Like Drugs

Intended to watch for 34 minutes, ended up watching for 34 hours

Need to cultivate healthy short-form viewing habits

The word that is most frequently seen in South Korea right now is ‘drugs.’ In the entertainment industry, there have been rumors of drug suspicions surrounding famous celebrities, and the front page of newspapers reported on two Koreans who were sentenced to death in Vietnam for drug trafficking.

What are the dangers of drugs? Drugs cause a surge in dopamine, leading to intense pleasure. Once someone experiences this, they may no longer be able to find happiness or pleasure from other sources, making them vulnerable to addiction.

This terrifying word, ‘drugs,’ is now often used when referring to ‘short-form videos.’ Short-form videos also have addictive qualities. Jung Won-hee, an internal medicine specialist, stated on the YouTube channel Doctor Friends that ‘short-form videos like TikTok and Reels are similar to synthetic drugs that allow for faster and greater dopamine gains.’

What aspects of short-form videos contribute to their addictive nature? First, short-form videos quickly reveal the ‘conclusion’ in the story, which stimulates the brain’s immediate reward circuit. The immediate gratification of a quick ‘conclusion’ fosters addiction.

Furthermore, short-form videos primarily operate on an ‘algorithm’ recommendation system rather than search. With a single touch, a continuous stream of unexpected new videos emerges, offering excitement and stimulation. This produces a slot machine effect, akin to the exhilaration experienced during gambling.

Additionally, algorithms fully grasp our preferences and bombard us with short, stimulating content. Before we know it, 1-2 hours can easily slip by. We become addicted without realizing it.

As a short-form video creator, I fully agree that short-form videos are addictive.

I intended to watch for only 34 minutes, but it stretched into 34 hours. I remember the day I experienced a ‘reality check’ and put my phone in the refrigerator. As someone who teaches digital marketing for short-form videos at a university, I tried to console myself by thinking, ‘It was a learning experience about trends.’ But in truth, it was addiction.

As a short-form video creator and someone who discusses short-form video trends, I am not immune to the problem of short-form video addiction. How do I address this issue?

First, I set a specific ‘viewing time’ for watching videos. My content creation day is every Monday, and I allocate 1-2 hours before shooting to find references and watch short-form videos. Instead of approaching it simply for entertainment, I view it from a perspective of analyzing the content and identifying trends.

Secondly, I consciously establish a healthy life pattern. The consumption of short-form videos has led to a decline in my concentration, making it difficult to read long articles. To counteract this, I consciously wake up early and begin my day with reading. I manage my ‘concentration’ by reading and organizing long articles and writing during the early hours of the morning, when my focus is at its peak.

Thirdly, even when consuming short-form content, I block content with strong stimuli and manage the algorithm. I primarily watch self-improvement content, but occasionally, videos of scantily clad women appear. I block these videos and manage the algorithm to protect myself.

Overcoming short-form video addiction requires such ‘proactive and conscious efforts.’ Some experts advise against watching or engaging with short-form videos altogether, but I disagree. This is because short-form videos have already established themselves as a new language for Gen Z.

As someone with a vision for the next generation, short-form videos are a tool for conveying messages to them. To communicate with Gen Z, we need to adapt to their ‘language.’ Gen Z uses short videos as their language, and to communicate with them, we need to enter their platform.

The newly emerged language of short-form videos is short and highly addictive. However, to communicate the dangers of short-form video addiction to them, we must ultimately use ‘short-form videos’ to do so.

Times are changing, and the ‘language’ we use changes with them. Recognizing that we cannot completely reject the massive linguistic shift towards short-form videos, and utilizing them wisely as a ‘tool’ to convey messages, holds the key to hope within this realm.

While we cannot refuse the changing methods of communication, losing our footing in the face of these waves can lead to the loss of communication and becoming a slave to stimulating addiction. Therefore, it is a time when a self-managing and cautious attitude is urgently required.

※ The author of this article is the original writer, andthis is an article contributed to the Woman Economy Newspaper..