Why is video the king of all content?
There is this pervasive idea online, that content is king, and the king of kings is video. If you’ve even skirted around the edge of any kind of digital marketing, agency, content studio environment you might have heard some of the regular catch cries about video.
That video engages users more, offers better ROI or even stand alone prophetic statements like ‘video is the future’.
Caption: If only we had a crystal ball for these futuristic predictions
As a filmmaker, this has always sounded about right to me. But I got to thinking, what evidence exists to support these claims? And why exactly is video so enticing for humans?
Starting from the obvious place, googling ‘why do humans love video?’ we find out all sorts of biological/ psychological rationales for quest to consume the moving image. Apparently we are over here, just casually processing visual stimuli 60,000 times faster than text based stimuli.
So is it that simple? Our brains are driven towards the most engaging stimuli and video tickles that itch? Well, it does seem like the pace at which we can receive video content does give video the edge over still images or copy. But there is more to ensuring the video you create retains a user rather than have them click away, on to cuter cats in another feed.
What makes someone stick around to watch a video? Especially with short form ad creative, you have about 3-5 seconds before a user will click away. Upending expectations is a good way to keep someone engaged, or by using familiar elements in an unfamiliar way. The brain will be hooked by the pattern or disruption to the pattern, wanting to know what comes next.
The above ad is a video edit for an agency I work for. I took visually stimulating elements and used the cut-up method to change the expectation of what comes next. So that when on silent, scrolling through the feed, the visuals themselves are the hook.
Then of course we have the rise of the short-form content platforms. From Vine to Tik Tok all content is under 1 minute, and most is a lot shorter (often 15 for Tik Tok and Vines were only 6 seconds long, RIP)
Tik Tok specifically has been noted for its particularly addictive nature. This is a combination of the way the For You page works, pushing content you will like based on your previous viewing habits, and also that the platform seems to have a greater chance of users ‘going viral’. Like the golden days of Instagram, these tactics seem to allow platforms to grow at a rapid pace. Before they are then overrun with ads and tighten up their reach to increase paid spend – which then will kill the organic fun of a platform, ultimately likely leading to its death.
Back to video – another factor that makes it the king of kings when it comes to content is that video stimulates numerous senses all at once. We can use it to tell a story, evoke and provoke thoughts and memories, and the dreaded feels.
Turns out humans LOVE stories. And there is science behind that as well, turns out hearing stories that we resonate with actually releases Oxytocin (No wonder we are all so desperate for good representation in media)
Lest we not forget that video can also forge a sense of intimacy with audiences. Various online video formats, like vlogs, POV, mukbang, tea, lets plays all encourage and develop a sense of intimacy between the viewer and the creator.
This can work in everyone’s favour, healthy fandoms exist and it just means that the relationship between the creator and audience is evolving and able to adjust to the requests of the viewers. However, this can slide easily into the realm of the parasocial relationship. The asymmetrical feeling that you are friends with your favourite content creators when they likely have no idea who you are.
Though on a small scale, during the pandemic I was able to create a YouTube Channel in my spare time. I could respond and adjust the content based on my audience’s comments. Most recently I was able to produce a video within 10 hours of the lockdown being announced.
Video grabs us faster, stimulates us to the point of releasing feel-good chemicals, its intimate and immediate. So upon checking these fanciful claims about video being the future, I feel fairly confident saying my gut as a storyteller was right. We should all go out and commission short TikTok dramas about our lives. It will be best for everyone.
Header/Featured image credit Photo by Sirisvisual on Unsplash :
