Why The Most Viral Creators Are Making Their Content Worse

"Over the past five years, the short form boom became a masterclass in engineering attention. Creators edited for one thing, keeping eyeballs glued to screens. Every frame was calculated. Hook them in the first seconds, loop the ending back to the beginning, cut every pause, every breath, every moment of dead air, layer in sound effects, memes, anything to earn yourself that extra second."

"These days, free editing apps can automatically edit your content, cutting on the beat, adding captions with perfect timing, inserting sound effects at psychologically optimal moments. Tools like CapCut's AI features, Opus Clip, and dozens of others have automated the playbook that took creators years to master. The barrier to perfect content has collapsed. A teenager with no editing experience can now produce a piece that would have required a production team and a five-figure budget only a few years ago."

Short-form video editing evolved into precise attention engineering, with creators optimizing hooks, loops, cuts, and layered audio to retain viewers. AI-driven editing tools now replicate those techniques automatically, enabling novices to produce studio-quality videos. The mass availability of perfectly engineered content creates homogenized feeds and diminishes the impact of flawless production. Human traits—mispronunciations, unpolished pacing, visible effort, and other imperfections—are emerging as authentic signals that differentiate creators. Intentionally looser production and relatable flaws can increase engagement by proving a human creator is behind the content.

Read at Forbes