Shortform social media videos are everywhere these days. TikTok is literally built on the format, and other sites, such as Facebook and Instagram, have followed suit with Reels in order to keep people engaged. But I cannot stand the form factor, and wish it would die a quick death. Here are my reasons why…

1Most Shortform Videos Are Meaningless Fodder

I don’t follow any creators pumping out these shortform videos. And yet I still see them on Facebook and Instagram, and (in the case of TikTok videos) shared on social media. And my overriding experience is that most of the videos are just meaningless fodder purely uploaded to draw eyeballs.

There are videos of cats making weird noises, of people condoning new ways of cooking or eating food, of pranksters acting like nuisances in public. And that’s just the tip of the nonsensical iceberg. None of our lives are enriched by these videos, so creators are wasting their time uploading them, and viewers are wasting their time watching them.

2The Robotic Voiceovers Are Dull and Uninspiring

If you’re going to upload a shortform video, please, for the love of whatever higher power you worship, do the voiceover yourself. Sure, it’s a little more work than using the robotic voiceover offered by thetext-to-speech tools, but I guarantee that it’s worth it. Otherwise, your video sounds exactly the same as everybody else’s video. Which is sad.

The first time I heard the robotic voiceover, I thought it was quite clever. Now, after hearing that same dull tone in hundreds of videos, I can feel my intelligence being eaten away by the soulless voiceover, and I no longer even tune into what’s being said. In fact, I usually click away as soon as it kicks in, meaning I’m not even willing to sit through a 30-second video clip.

3The Same Laugh Tracks and Songs Are Overused

Even without a robotic voiceover, the audio of these Reels and TikToks is shockingly repetitive. Even as a very minor consumer of these videos, I hear the same laugh tracks and songs used over and over again. I get it, in the same way as finding original stock images for written articles is tricky, there are only so many options available in terms of audio for these videos. But still, you could at least try.

The laugh tracks are particularly annoying, as they’re like something out of an old-school sitcom, with canned laughter designed to clue you into the fact that what you’re watching is meant to be funny. And sadly, it generally isn’t. I can count the number of times I have laughed out loud at a Facebook Reel on the fingers of one hand, and yet 50 percent of them (or so it feels) feature a laugh track trying to persuade me that something’s funny.

4There’s a Tendency Towards Frustrating Clickbait

While, as we’ve already discussed, many shortform videos are meaningless fodder, some are even worse than that. They’re pure, unadulterated clickbait designed to lure viewers into watching before revealing that they don’t contain what was promised. Whilewe’re all used to clickbait adsand articles, it’s sad to see it used in videos too.

Creators will use the format to their advantage, choosing the opening shot or looping part of the video to reel people in as though they were fish jumping onto a hook. Because, all that matters is that you click and watch the video. Even if you’re left feeling utterly frustrated and asking, “What was the point of that?” afterward.

5Staged Videos Pretending to Show Real Events

One of my biggest bugbears is staged videos implying that the events depicted are real. While I have no problem with scripted videos, it’s the intent of fooling viewers that grinds my gears. It’s lying, basically, with creators manipulating viewers.

What makes this worse is the sheer number of people who fall for it. Click on any shortform video which is clearly fake, and you’ll find hundreds of comments from people who have taken what they’ve seen at face value. That inability to detect artifice seems to be growing.

6People Will Do Anything for Attention From Strangers

While this isn’t limited to shortform video (with content creators andsocial media influencersalso trending this way), the lack of morals on display when clicks are available is shocking. People will do (almost) anything to gain that attention they so desperately desire.

Examples include videos showing animals getting rescued from drains or other predicaments, when it’s obvious that someone has placed that animal in danger in the first place. Another is pranksters who mess with strangers who have no desire to be part of a prank.

7Misinformation Is Rife, and People Tend to Believe It

Lastly, but probably most seriously, is the amount of misinformation being spread via this format. This is also a problem with longform video on YouTube, with pliant audiences ripe for believing whatever they get told. However, shorter videos are so easily consumed that an incorrect fact included in one can be consumed by millions of people in an instant.

Misinformation and disinformationcan be both mild and serious. Something mild would be a “life hack” that actually turns out to be nonsense. Something more serious would be an outright lie about a politician or celebrity that spreads online without being called out or corrected.

Even with all of these reasons outlined, I haven’t even mentioned my belief that these videos are having a negative influence on society. Not only are they potentially addictive, with people choosing to watch them when they have any spare moment of time, but they’re also reducing people’s attention spans to an absolute minimum. Therefore, I won’t be watching this particular form factor anymore, and would encourage you to join me in my protest.