Thoughts on Short Video Apps
Thoughts on “Features not fundamentals” from the post
Partly true. However, there’s another phenomenon at play here, especially true for big creators. People consume content for the creators, not necessarily for the content itself. Sure, the quality of content plays a role, but the creator is equally important, if not more. (People want to watch Salman Khan movies more for Salman than for the movie content).
This holds more truth in the case of short-form content because it requires less time commitment compared to long-form content. (An audience might be okay watching average quality content of short length from their favorite creator. However, the same audience will rethink their commitment if it were long-form content.)
Why are short video apps growing?
- Such apps make it easy to create and distribute content. (Platforms like TikTok and Chingari use fundamentally different recommendation algorithms than YouTube.)
- Short-form apps cater to the short attention spans of the audience, acting as a quick dopamine hit.
- People readily consume content in increments of 10+10+10+10 minutes rather than a single 40-minute piece. Why? The Zeigarnik effect plays a role here. Andrew Schlewz explains this in context to his content.
That being said, Joe Rogan remains a cultural phenomenon, attracting a large audience despite focusing on long-form content. (This is a tangential point, ignored for now.)
What does the future look like?
- The future will see the top 2-3 apps (e.g., IG Reels, TikTok) dominating, followed by a heavy tail distribution for other apps.
- A new set of solutions (read: apps) will emerge, offering all the necessary tools (filters, editing, etc.) to reduce friction in content creation. Think about how Chrome extensions have impacted internet browsing. (They’ve boosted productivity.)
What should the stakeholders do?
- Creators should cross-sell their content on different platforms. (This is already happening.)
- Investors must diversify to succeed. Their diversification should resemble a Retail Investor’s portfolio—aiming for wins across almost all ventures, though the ROI could vary for each—rather than a VC’s portfolio, which allows for a few big winners while the rest may not succeed.