Reasons Why I Dislike Short Videos (Even Though I Have to Post Them)

https://ko-fi.com/post/Reasons-Why-I-Dislike-Short-Videos-Even-Though-I-N4N11LBMRF

Short videos are insanely popular right now, especially among Gen Z. But honestly—what can you actually learn in 1 minute? (YouTube has even extended that to 3 minutes.) At best, they give you a fleeting “that felt nice” kind of vibe, but they don’t really teach you anything.

I sometimes post short clips of eye painting, and I’ll see comments like, “Oh, so that’s how it’s done.” But I can’t help thinking, “No, that’s not how it works at all…”

For people in creative fields, this might sting, but it’s worth saying clearly: You simply cannot convey everything in a single minute. And if you try, it just becomes a chopped-up, misleading mess that doesn’t reflect reality. 

You can’t actually learn anything from that.

Even if viewers approach it with a learning mindset, the best they’ll get is a shallow understanding. In practice, they walk away with nothing. It ends up being a total waste of time—what people now call poor “time performance.”

And it’s not just about wasted time. Short videos actively harm your brain and habits:

• They don’t aid real learning

• They cram in too much information

• They encourage addictive behavior

• They weaken focus

• They waste time

These points are all connected. Short videos overstimulate dopamine release, making you prone to addiction. The constant info overload leaves no space for your brain’s default mode network to function, reducing creativity. This all chips away at your focus and motivation for meaningful work or study.

Once you start watching, it’s easy to lose 30 minutes or even an hour without realizing it. Platforms design them that way—each swipe brings up a completely different genre, keeping you hooked.

But dopamine is supposed to be used for long tasks: work, study, or creative flow. When you’re deeply immersed in making something, time disappears, hours pass in a blink, and you feel deeply fulfilled afterward. That’s the “flow state,” fueled by dopamine. For creators, this state is essential.

Short-form content breaks this cycle. It trains your brain to seek quick hits instead of deep focus. That’s why it’s so damaging.

So why are short videos everywhere? Simple: our attention is money. 

Platforms thrive on ads, so they push formats that maximize screen time. With Gen Z already favoring shorts, the algorithms doubled down. The result: shallow, clickbait-filled clips dominate, while long, meaningful videos get buried.

This costs us dearly—our focus, creativity, and most importantly, our time. Tech companies have systemized this to the point where individual willpower alone can’t fight it.

 The only solution is habit: actively choosing not to watch.

That’s why I filter shorts out of my own feed. I don’t scroll Instagram or X anymore, and I just keep YouTube running like background radio with long-form content. 

That way, I stay focused on what actually matters.

At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice. Platforms may pressure creators (myself included) into posting shorts to gain reach. 

But you can choose not to watch them. Honestly, I’d prefer you didn’t—at least if you’ve read this far. Because there’s very little to gain from them.

To remind ourselves of the importance of time, I think it’s crucial to always keep the thought, “What if I were to die tomorrow?” in the back of our minds.

It makes us ask: “Is this really how I should be spending my time right now? Isn’t there something I truly ought to be doing?”