The impact of short-form media on cinema

The high-intensity and fast-paced culture of TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and all such apps supplying short burst content allows its viewers to switch off and absorb material at an accelerated rate. The short, snappy bursts of entertainment are overwhelming the pace of modern cinema. However, trailers and promotions on the app are giving leverage to more obscure films that don’t often reach mainstream media.

TikTok and similar short video platforms are developing a culture of advertising unlike any form of broadcasting seen before. The snappy, intense videos filled with content catered specifically to its viewers, I argue, are changing the film scene for the better. Due to an increase in promotional campaigns through these streaming platforms, larger film companies are seeing an increase in streaming numbers and ticket sales due to a larger amount of discovery for new media brought on by the app. The app is building a platform, not only for film companies but also for actors, producers and editors to build awareness of their work. But does this increased discovery aid the culture of cinema or harm the independent film scene?

To increase viewer numbers, content creators are producing short clips of the most thrilling climaxes of movies, to hook their viewers into an encapsulating storyline. The reduction of cinema to merely spoilers and plot twists discourages the viewer from watching the entire film, as the excitement of the narrative has already been destroyed. I argue that this symptom of the TikTok effect bleeds into the cinematic beauty of storytelling. Similarly, due to the algorithms and financial influence of these social media platforms, videos are subjectively targeted to particular groups, meaning that independent and alternative film projects are not noticed by a larger audience. As viewers are force-fed by mainstream, high-budget film companies with the financial resources to push their media further, smaller companies therefore lose profit, and subsequently, fewer independent films are produced.

While TikTok has enhanced the discovery of film through advanced advertising strategies, it is undeniable that the fast-faced nature of such streaming platforms has marginalised the independent film scene and runs the risk of stripping the importance of storytelling in cinema. The social media platform does not inherently destroy film culture, but its misuse encourages a form of film colonisation that prioritises intensity and content consumption more than the importance of narrative.