It Takes More Than A Second

The deterioration of our attention spans began with Vine – a video-sharing platform that only allowed six-second long videos – in 2013. This time limit required creators to be more creative, and to master comedic timing. The funniest videos on the platform were compiled and posted on YouTube. These compilation videos racked up views and helped popularize Vine catchphrases like “Stop! I could’ve dropped my croissant,” or “And they were roommates!”  that are still being referenced today.

Although six short seconds proved to be fun, creators on the platform started demanding more time so they could be more creative and explore other types of content, but their request was shot down. Creators on the platform also were not earning from their content as Vine did not monetize their platform, meaning sponsorships and brand collaborations were off the table. Vine eventually shut down in 2017 because they failed to support creators and ultimately proved to be unprofitable.

Another short form app, Musical.ly, popped up in 2016. The app mostly catered to a younger audience who enjoyed lip-syncing and dancing to pop hits. It offered no space to explore humor and creativity because there was not much to do on the app. This is why Musical.ly has no significant impact, at least in terms of quotes and catchphrases, on contemporary pop culture. It didn’t take long before it shut down in 2018 – well, not really!

Musical.ly’s creators then had the billion-dollar idea to merge with TikTok and users’ accounts were transferred to TikTok, giving them the best of both worlds! It served the perfect combination of space for humor and creativity, music and dance, a longer time limit, and monetization. Today, the platform continues to offer space to innovate and it knows exactly what its audience wants. TikTok did what Vine failed to do: address its market’s needs and take care of its creators, which are essentially the backbone of the app, and of social media in general.

TikTok boomed when the pandemic hit in 2020. With billions of users across the globe turning to the platform to stay connected and find sparks of joy and inspiration, the app saw a 45% monthly jump in active users between July 2020 and July 2022.  Harvard’s Shorenstein Center’s Emily Dreyfuss, who writes about the intersection of technology and society, put it best, “TikTok has become a source of culture, a reinforcement of culture, and a cauldron where culture is created.”