"The industry is pivoting (again) to short-form vertical video right when audiences are exhausted by algorithm-driven feeds and seeking refuge from visual overload. Social media traffic is declining. Platforms have deprioritized our journalism. And yet, newsrooms are doubling down on the very formats audiences are abandoning, convinced we just need to tell the story in a faster or slicker manner."
"When I read, I am much more likely to understand how my daily decisions are impacting other people in ways that are not okay with me, ethically and morally. When I watch, my nervous system becomes so overwhelmed, I just shut it down and I go straight to fuck it. I can't do this. And I don't change my behaviors."
News organizations are shifting toward short-form vertical video even as audiences grow exhausted with algorithm-driven feeds and social media traffic falls. Platforms have deprioritized journalism while newsrooms adopt bite-sized formats audiences are abandoning. Short, rapid fragments overload working memory and reduce comprehension; average screen attention before switching has dropped to 47 seconds. A review of 71 studies linking heavy short-form video use to poorer cognition, attention and impulse control also found associations with increased depression, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. News strategy should focus on fostering sustained, healthy news habits rather than chasing fleeting engagement.
Read at Nieman Lab
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