This article is currently an experimental machine translation and may contain errors. If anything is unclear, please refer to the original Chinese version. I am continuously working to improve the translation.
The reason I’m writing this article goes something like this: I was casually scrolling through videos from Bilibili content creators, when I suddenly noticed that most videos were only 5 or 10 minutes long. Videos lasting half an hour have practically vanished from my subscriptions.
Come to think of it, playing a game for 40 minutes, explaining a science topic in 15, or filming a 20-minute vlog isn’t particularly difficult. Yet more and more creators are avoiding longer formats, deliberately keeping their videos around the 10-minute mark.
Take a look at the front pages of major video platforms (Bilibili / YouTube / Youku, etc.)—you’ll find countless videos hovering around the 5-minute mark.
The direct consequence of increasingly shorter videos is the fragmentation of our attention span.
Once you get used to watching 5–10 minute clips,
it becomes harder to focus on one thing for a long time (e.g., reading a book or studying for hours).
Eventually, everything just feels superficial and restless :(
So I spent some time looking into this phenomenon and finally found one of the main culprits (maybe the main one?).
Even if you have zero interest in technology, you’ve probably heard of “artificial intelligence.”
Nowadays, all major video platforms use so-called “AI and big data” algorithms—essentially mathematical models that determine what videos get recommended (like homepage suggestions or “related videos” shown after playback).
For this clever “robot,” the key metrics it relies on are simple: view count, likes, comments, and other basic stats.
Following this logic: high views = popularity = high-quality content = the algorithm promotes it further = even more views = … (a self-reinforcing loop).
Creating a long-form video takes a lot of effort and time. But here’s the catch: many viewers won’t stick around to finish it. They might watch just a few minutes and leave. On most platforms, if someone watches only a small fraction of a one-hour video, the system won’t count it as a “complete view.” As a result, long videos get lower view counts. The algorithm then assumes they’re unpopular, so they’re rarely recommended—and eventually drown in the sea of content.
In contrast, a short video—say, 2 to 5 minutes—can easily attract clicks, especially with clickbait titles or misleading thumbnails. Because it’s so short, even watching 1–2 minutes might count as a “view.” Many viewers who get tricked into clicking still register as full views, so the view count shoots up fast. This tricks the algorithm into promoting it more—maybe even to the homepage—bringing in even more traffic.
Nowadays, being an “internet celebrity” has become a real career. Many creators, streamers, and YouTubers rely on video-making as their main job, with ad revenue as their primary income.
For them, maximizing views is essential to survival.
So they’re forced to shorten their videos to “game” the platform’s algorithm. Otherwise, they risk losing subscribers, getting no exposure, and eventually fading into obscurity.
I’ve seen many YouTubers who genuinely put effort into their content—especially in technical or educational niches—struggle to grow because they don’t “crack” the algorithm. Some eventually give up and go find regular jobs. Meanwhile, on Bilibili, some creators post meaningless content with pure clickbait and blow up overnight, gaining massive followings. It’s truly a frustrating reality.
To sum up, the widespread trend of declining content quality and shrinking video lengths across platforms isn’t accidental—it’s a calculated strategy to trick “artificial intelligence.” But this trend also means we’re exposed to shallower, more fragmented content, which in turn fragments our attention and distorts how we use our time.
Now you know which creators to follow—and which ones to unfollow.
This article is licensed under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
Author: lyc8503, Article link: https://blog.lyc8503.net/en/post/reflection-on-time-use/
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