Whatever Its Fate, TikTok Changed How We Create, Consume and Think About Content (and Transformed Hollywood Forever)

by

The upstart tech executive was confident people would keep clicking on their videos.

He pointed out that the platform was designed to be incredibly hard to resist,” he noted, explaining how easily it kept users engaged. While numerous companies were striving to understand and perfect this new era of compulsive screen time, the executive expressed his belief that no one else had cracked the code quite like they had. “I’m not certain we have a true rival in this field yet,” he added.

The individual who made those remarks in 2013 was Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s executive, during an interview with NPR Marketplace. This conversation took place at the same time that “Orange Is the New Black” was added to their service. At that point, TikTok had not yet been introduced.

It’s understandable if one perceives the comments as referring to the viral video app that has taken on a similar role of a Pringles Potato Chip in terms of digital entertainment, where once you start watching, it’s hard to stop. Just like Netflix revolutionized Hollywood by making videos addictive through algorithms, TikTok appears to have done the same to Netflix, and this transformation seems to be long-lasting.

The future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain. After briefly shutting down on Saturday night, it resumed operation on Sunday morning, hinting at an executive order by the incoming president Trump that could postpone a ban. However, its long-term status is still unclear due to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a law requiring owner ByteDance to sell the platform to a non-Chinese company.

Ignore the drama unfolding in Washington. Regardless of whether TikTok continues for many years or fades away, it has already triumphed in a game that traditional entertainment failed to recognize they were part of until it was too late.

Once, Netflix-style streaming felt like a game-changer, offering an immersive viewing experience where I’d lose track of time with those lengthy eight-hour story arcs. However, the digital world is unpredictable – as much as technology offers, it also takes away. Binge-watching was just one step in this journey, and TikTok came next, wielding a stronger influence. Gone were the days of eight-hour arcs; now I could devour 80 videos within an hour. It was like they knew exactly what I craved!

Despite its novelty, the app mirrored a TV pattern that had been transforming video storytelling into an interactive pastime since the 1980s. Shows like “Hill Street Blues” and “Twin Peaks,” for example, offered engaging, immersive experiences that were relatively uncommon in television at the time. This trend escalated with shows such as “The Sopranos” and “Survivor” in the early 2000s, setting the stage for the streaming era of the 2010s. With each passing season, producers made it more challenging to look away, with content and technology working together to make viewing almost irresistible rather than just a casual choice.

TikTok continued this trend, with a “broccoli haircut” here, some wit from Khaby Lame there. Once you finished one video, it seemed impossible not to watch another, as its algorithm was expertly designed to keep us engaged much like David Chase knew how to captivate his audience.

In the transition from Hollywood’s golden age to the era of TikTok, the essence of storytelling has undergone a significant shift. Unlike the long, polished, and centralized narratives prevalent in the former, today’s stories are generally brief, informal, and largely decentralized. To illustrate this contrast, consider that if ‘The Sopranos’ and ‘The Crow’ were elaborate five-course meals, savored once each season, TikTok can be likened to a fast food burger, available for immediate consumption whenever desired.

And McDonald’s always wins.

One significant factor behind this is the financial aspect. TikTok boasts approximately twice as many subscribers in the U.S. as Netflix (around 170 million), primarily due to its cost-effective method of building its content library. Producing professional shows can be quite expensive, whereas encouraging everyone to submit their videos is a more affordable approach.

However, cultural factors play a significant role here. When you find that the videos you’re watching are created by ordinary people, much like ourselves, it fosters a stronger connection and investment. Unlike the celebrity-dominated era, TikTok creators seem more relatable because they are indeed similar to us. In fact, sometimes, these creators could even be us (if we choose to participate). For an in-depth analysis of how TikTok has influenced creator culture, I recommend reading this insightful essay.

It soon became clear that shorter video content was an expectation, not just for younger audiences who haven’t built up the habit of binge-watching long series, but for everyone else as well. There’s compelling research suggesting that TikTok has had a profound impact on our biological processes. A study using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to monitor brain activity discovered that excessive use of the app, with its addictive short videos that keep drawing us in for more, activated areas of the brain linked to attention span and ultimately decreased it. In essence, TikTok didn’t just disrupt the existing model; it fundamentally altered our cognitive processes.

The majority of Hollywood has either ignored or been unable to effectively combat this issue. At best, they’ve tried to promote their content on TikTok, which is similar to advertising a horse-and-buggy service next to a Model T. Quibi, despite its flaws, recognized one thing correctly: it smartly aimed to merge the spirit of TikTok with traditional Hollywood, blending the appeal of serial storytelling with short-form engagement. However, this combination has proven to be incompatible. Yet, Jeffrey Katzenberg was correct in recognizing the problem.

It’s clear that there will still be excellent TV series to captivate us in the future. However, the dominant position that traditional, series-based television has held in both business and culture – with a writer’s room script and weeklong shoot being our primary choice for viewing on digital screens – is becoming less significant day by day.

TikTok isn’t the final link in the chain, there are more connections to come. New developments, not just the existing efforts by Meta, Substack, and YouTube to mimic TikTok, will be added. I’m referring to more substantial changes. It’s quite possible that videos will become even more customizable, expanding on TikTok’s influence of making us all creators; why just watch when you can perform?

In the future, Hollywood-style narratives will adapt flexibly to fit our preferences rather than follow rigid scripts. Instead of watching AI-enhanced performances akin to The Blinding Lights dance, we’ll engage with personalized stories that allow us to shape the plot according to our desires. As innovative firms in both Hollywood and Silicon Valley strive to deliver this immersive experience, it may lead to a unique kind of mental agitation, making us dissatisfied with any version of a story that doesn’t align with our chosen narrative. Unlike TikTok where many users watch identical 20-second clips, in this new era, no two perspectives will be identical.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed that the landscape of entertainment is constantly shifting, and predicting its future is like trying to catch mist. Anyone who claims they have all the answers is probably pulling my leg. But let me tell you, TikTok has certainly shaken things up in the entertainment industry, and anyone who denies this isn’t leveling with me. The way we consume videos today is vastly different from five years ago, and I can only imagine how it will change by 2030 – it’ll be like a whole new world to us now. No matter what Hollywood or Congress does, they can’t outsmart the algorithm that rules our digital entertainment.

Read More

2025-01-20 04:55