Tag Archives: TikTok

Features

Has Tiktok changed the way we watch videos?

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Most people today have a small attention span, so I will try to keep this short. With TikTok still going strong, companies have realized that it’s a real competitor in the video and entertainment market. Companies like YouTube and Instagram have had the most notable change on their platforms with the introduction of YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels after TikTok blew up in popularity. These new additions have come with their pros and cons, and people, even the content creators themselves, have noticed a difference in viewership.

Youtube shorts

YouTube Shorts were introduced to content creators earlier this year. It didn’t matter how many subscribers or watch time you had on your channel; anyone was able to create YouTube Shorts if you had an account. It started slowly but gradually took over the platform and now has its own subsection on the YouTube page. Content creators like myself have noticed that since YouTube Shorts’ introduction, views and video retention have changed drastically depending on the type of videos you post.  

The YouTube videos you know of, landscaped quality, usually 5-10 minutes long, with ads, have been seeing a decline in viewership. People nowadays want fast-paced videos. Long-time YouTube fans are still loyal to the service, but a new era of viewers have come online. For example, let’s look at some of the analytics on my recent videos and Shorts.

Just below on the left, you can see the viewer retention span on a recently uploaded video that I posted on my own channel. You can see the first bit of the video has the most viewers watching, but as the video continues, people start to lose interest.

On the right, you can see the retention span of people watching a YouTube Shorts video. The retention span is much higher and more constant than in normal-length videos. There’s a higher percentage of people watching at the end of YouTube Shorts than in the middle of most YouTube videos.

The community welcomed YouTube shorts which are a great way to grow a channel. However, content on YouTube is becoming less and less of what it was originally meant to be. 

Instagram reels

YouTube isn’t the only platform that’s been directly affected by TikTok. Instagram has implemented a new way to show off your life with Instagram reels. This feature, however, might have gone a little overboard. Reels are basically TikToks on Instagram. Most of the filters and video options on TikTok have made their way to Reels. Not only has this TikTok variant been created, but it has also seemingly taken over Instagram.

Since the release of reels, options for videos and the way you view posts have been limited. The style of posts has been changed to look more prominent, and you can only view one post at a time. With this new layout, it’s harder for people to see posts from friends and family members, where before they could easily see them multiple times. Reels are recommended to you even on your home page, which takes up much of the room that is somewhat still available.

Besides the posts, videos on Instagram have been heavily impacted. If you’ve posted a video or have seen the InstaGaelNews page, you might notice that normal-looking videos automatically convert into Reels. You can upload a landscape or square video, but once you upload it, Instagram will show a pop-up explaining that videos are now converted into Reels.

With all these new features, people over the past few months have started to speak out and tell Instagram that they want the old Instagram back. Instagram seems to be holding strong regarding the changes they have implemented, despite the backlash.

The Future

Some of these changes might be news to you, while others are a thing of the past…year and a half. YouTube has embraced the new way of video even if it might be a bold departure from what was intended initially; Instagram has been getting backlash for turning their app into what is basically TikTok 2.0; and TikTok is still running strong with over 15 million active monthly viewers.

Legacy apps like YouTube and Instagram have lasted years and have grown monumentally, but will TikTok still have its place on the internet in 5-10 years? While it might be an “editors choice” app, once trends die down, new competitors could come into the business and take over the internet, just as TikTok did years ago.

Cooper Funk is a Senior member of the Multimedia Journalism Class.

Art & Music, Features

The importance of animation

The like button has many different variations even though it means the same action. Whether you’re scrolling through Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, or any other social media site, there will most likely be some sort of button to show your appreciation for a post. However, what’s that one thing separating the like button across all platforms and their version of the like button? The animation. It’s one small detail that is hard to notice at first, but it’s there to give that app a sense of identity. If it were to disappear suddenly, it would lose that sense of identity and would feel bland. 

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Animation is seen daily, but people might not know where to look or what it would look like. So what is animation? In simple terms, animation is a type of illusion to trick your brain into seeing movement from drawings, pictures, and CG models. What are some examples that use those types of animations? Shows on Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon use frame-by-frame animation to make 2d drawings of characters move. Movies from Disney, Pixar, and Marvel. Avengers Endgame where they had to animate the movement of Thanos or even in video games where almost everything is animated to tell the story. 

Now that we have a good reference as to what animations can be let’s talk about another place where you can find animations, Snapchat filters. Everyone who has used or knows of Snapchat has probably heard of filters. The primary term for filters is to add or remove images and backgrounds to a video or picture. Take for example, the dog filter where it adds big, floppy dog ears and a tongue. The filter’s code tracks the person’s face so the ears and tongue move along with the head, which actually follows one of the 12 principles of animation. Follow through or overlapping action. Follow-through is a crucial part of the animation process where the secondary features of the character or object, like the dog ears and tongue, follow through with the motion. An example of follow-through is a superhero flying with a cape super fast, and then stops suddenly. The superhero stops in the sky but the cape caves in around the body because of its forward motion. When you go on Snapchat, take a look at that dog filter and move your head to get a good idea of how the follow-through works.

There have been a lot of examples of animation in social media, but where else could you find it that most people would never think about? How about sports? Next time you’re watching a Football game, try and spot how many overlays there are on the screen, the transitions that cut to another camera position, and then compare them to other teams. Most teams will have their own branded transition or overlay for TV to make it more unique and personalized. It’s one detail that you might have never noticed but can make a massive impact on the game’s feeling. 

Animation is seen by everyone in today’s society even if you don’t look for it. It can be in many different forms like huge CG or 2d characters in movies and shows, overlays on sports stations, filters on Snapchat or Instagram, and the small things just like a like button.

Cooper Funk is a junior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

Opinions

Understanding the negative effects of social media

How much time do you spend on social media?

Social media has changed the way that we interact with one another, and while it has had its positive impacts on the world, it also has adverse effects on our well-being.

Although it is okay to use and post on the various social media platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, it is important to take note that there are many ways that social media can be detrimental to both our mental and physical health.

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First, it can serve as a huge distraction. Everyone already knows this, and almost everyone has fallen victim at least once to the time sink of mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, gaining little to no substance in the end. The key is moderation. This is something everyone has experienced doing, but it is important to actually put it into practice. It is way too easy to fall into the rhythm of scrolling for 20 minutes.

You may know this implicitly, but might not completely recognize right away, is that people commonly use social media to seek validation. They may post things as a way to express themselves, but ultimately, the goal of an Instagram post is to get a high number of likes and comments.

Something I noticed a while back is that often when someone posts something on Instagram, they will explicitly tell people to like and comment on that post. They shout themselves out on their Snapchat stories, and sometimes even ask other people to do the same. The phrase “like my recent” has become a common sight on Snapchat and Instagram stories. This is a testament to their need to receive likes, and positive reinforcement, on their posts.

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Seeing the number of likes go up is satisfying, and it can also be addictive. The need for validation becomes persistent and leads to comparing yourself to other people and their posts. You see that they have more followers than you do, and their posts get more likes and comments, and from there, the comparisons get worse and more frequent.

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Realize that what you see on social media is fake. No one’s life is as exciting as they are portrayed to be. People can easily doctor a photo to enhance their appearance. Knowing this is extremely important, because people can develop insecurities from comparing themselves to others on social media, and envying qualities that are seen as conventionally attractive, but are unattainable. This can lead to being self-conscious about your “faults” and even feeling depressed.

It is perfectly fine to be active on social media, because it is a fun way to stay connected with people and explore new ideas. However, if you notice that you are spending too much time scrolling through Instagram, or if you find yourself feeling insecure after seeing other people’s posts, then it is time for a break.

Gabe Henstrand is a senior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.