Watching for 34 minutes turned into 34 hours

You need to develop healthy short-form viewing habits

The most visible word in South Korea at this moment is 'drug'. In the entertainment industry, news of drug allegations against famous celebrities is being heard, and on the front page of the newspaper, news of two Koreans sentenced to death for distributing drugs in Vietnam has been reported.

What is the danger of drugs? Drugs cause strong pleasure through excessive dopamine secretion, but after experiencing it, they can no longer get happiness or pleasure elsewhere, leading to the danger of falling into the swamp of addiction.

This terrifying word 'drug' is often used to describe 'short form' these days. Short-form content is also addictive. Jung Won-hee, a specialist in internal medicine, said in the YouTube channel Doctor Friends that 'short-form videos such as TikTok and Reels are similar to synthetic drugs that can get more dopamine faster.'

What aspects of short form content cause addiction similar to drugs? First, short form content quickly shows the 'conclusion' in the middle of the 'development' and 'climax', stimulating the brain's immediate reward circuit. The rapid 'conclusion' reward obtained instantly causes addiction.

Also, short-form content is mainly operated through an 'algorithm' recommendation system rather than searching, so new videos that you never thought of keep appearing with one finger, giving you fun and excitement. This has the effect of spinning a slot machine and gives you a similar thrill to gambling.

In addition, the algorithm perfectly understands and targets my tastes, pouring out short and stimulating content, so it's common for 1-2 hours to pass before you know it. You become addicted without knowing it.

As a short-form creator, I confess that I also agree that short-form content is addictive.

I can't forget the day when I was going to watch for 34 minutes but it ended up being 34 hours, and I was hit with what is called 'a sudden sense of disillusionment' and put my phone in the refrigerator. As someone who teaches short-form digital marketing at university, I tried to comfort myself by saying, 'It was a time to study the trend,' but to be honest, it was addiction.

As a short-form creator who talks about short-form trends, I am more than anyone else unable to be free from the problem of short-form addiction. How am I dealing with this problem?

First, I set a 'viewing time' and watch videos. Every Monday is my content shooting day, and I spend 1-2 hours before shooting searching for references and watching short-form content. I watch it from the perspective of analyzing the content and checking the trend, rather than from the perspective of just watching for fun.

Secondly, I consciously create a healthy life pattern. As I consume short-form videos, I experience a decrease in concentration and inability to read long texts, so I consciously get up early and start my day with reading. During the early morning hours when my concentration is at its best, I read, organize, and write long texts to manage my 'concentration'.

Third, even if I watch short-form content, I block content that causes strong stimulation and manage the algorithm. I mainly watch self-improvement content, but sometimes I get videos of naked women. Every time that happens, I block it and manage the algorithm to protect myself.

In order to get out of short-form addiction, such 'proactive and conscious efforts' are needed. Some experts advise against watching short-form content at all, but I disagree with that opinion. This is because short-form videos have already become a new language for Generation Z.

For me, who has a vision for the next generation, short-form content is a tool to convey messages to the next generation. To communicate with Generation Z, you need to communicate in their 'language'. Generation Z uses the language of short videos, and to communicate with them, you need to enter the platform.

The newly born language of short-form content is short and addictive. However, to deliver the message about the dangers of short-form addiction to them, you need to deliver it through 'short-form content' in the end.

Times change, and the 'language' used with the times changes. If you are aware that you cannot completely reject the huge change in language called short-form content and use it wisely as a 'tool' containing messages, there is hope.

It is impossible to refuse the way communication changes, but if you are swept away by the waves and lose your center, communication will disappear and you will become a slave to stimulating addiction, so a self-management and vigilance are urgently needed.

※ This article was written by me andIt is a reprint of an article in the Women's Economy Newspaper..