Since TikTok’s conception in 2017, social media has completely reinvented itself. Once seen as a second coming of Musical.ly, TikTok became known for introducing not only an entirely new content structure in the short-form video realm but also a unique way to monetize it. 

The prominence of TikTok sent shockwaves throughout the media industry with everyone trying to capitalize on its new style of content. Instagram introduced Reels, YouTube created Shorts, Snapchat rolled out Spotlight, Spotify designed Canvas — the list goes on. 

There’s no doubt that creators have been able to adapt to this new style of content and showcase their creativity in unique ways, whether it be through high-quality fit checks from Wisdom Kaye, or @wisdm8, or overproduced narrative sketches from grantbeans, or @tik_tok_bhadie. However, these types of effortful videos are the exception, not the norm.

TikTok incentivizes videos to maximize their retention and engagement; it wants users to spend as much time as possible on their app and come back as often as they can. These two qualities don’t necessarily align with the qualities of creativity or artistry, and instead promote videos with clickbait and trivial, unchallenging content. The easier a video is to watch, the more money it will make. 

As consumers are fed these attention-grabbing, hyper-stimulating videos, more than just their For You page is changed. Their appetite for different forms of media starts to align more with the short-form, mindless and perhaps even “brainrot”-esque content that they come across while scrolling. 

This has created a decrease in attention spans and an increase in multitasking, both of which lead us to give less undivided awareness to any particular subject. Short-from videos combine both of these phenomena, making us constantly switch our attention by focusing on a new video as fast as one can swipe up.

This restricted attention span is perfect for scrolling on TikTok, but when watching a two-hour-long film or spending the afternoon at an art museum, it becomes less than ideal. 

The endless stream of content on TikTok has allowed for quantity to take precedence over quality, exemplifying the American trend of overconsumption in an online space. Information overload has been a lingering fear in society since the term’s coining in 19th century, but it’s now more relevant than ever. The more art available to us, the less we’re able to value each piece of art individually. 

Whether it be a ballet or a documentary, art requires a copious amount of attention to even be appreciated, and even more to be understood. A challenging work of art simply could not be perceived the same by those conditioned to seeing straightforward 30-second videos as it would have been before the age of short-form content.

This isn’t to say that modern short-form media is devoid of all valuable artistic content, rather that it’s been molded to fit our shorter attention spans. 

Platforms like TikTok have made it possible for artists to have their work appreciated by the masses, but they have also changed the type of things that these artists create. If one is making art to please an algorithm rather than themselves, is it still a true form of authentic expression? Is it still even art?

Without a true purpose other than virality, it’s hard to argue that much of the content on the short-form platforms is truly art. It lacks a connection to the human experience or a statement on the nature of life. The vast majority of these videos exist only as a means of entertainment, and while there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, it comes at the expense of valuable creativity.

Algorithms have trained consumers to diminish the value of quality art by producing an onslaught of content that can only be described as “easy.” It takes a conscious effort to seek out challenging, thought-provoking media, as it isn’t in the best interest of these platforms to promote it. 

The effects of TikTok’s short-form content aren’t permanent; the best way to combat this media overconsumption is to simply underconsume. The less we ingest online, the more we’re truly able to process and understand. 

Modern art hasn’t gone extinct, but in order to recognize it, one must browse slower. We must understand and appreciate art for what it truly is: an expression of human creativity and emotion. Only then can we start to create authentic art within the confines of short-form video.