Attention has never been so fiercely contested. On any given day, a person is bombarded with hundreds of stimuli such as notifications, emails, headlines, messages and posts. It seems that everything is competing for a second of attention. In this context, short and ephemeral content such as stories, reels and TikToks have not only found their place, but have become the format that sets the pace for social media. And this is no coincidence. They respond to how we behave, how our brains work and how platforms design their algorithms.
The era of immediacy
Time is increasingly scarce and our attention span is becoming more fragmented. We check our mobile phones while waiting for the underground, when we take a break at work or even when we are cooking. This constant multitasking has reduced our tolerance for long content.
Short clips function as microdoses of information. Why? Because they are quick, easy to consume and do not require much cognitive effort. In an environment saturated with stimuli, direct and visual content prevails. In short, we have become lazier in this regard. These formats hold our attention, and platforms know it.
The dopamine rush of scrolling
The human brain is designed to seek out new stimuli. Every
When this mechanism is combined with algorithms that reward what keeps us engaged for a few seconds longer, it creates an almost perfect cycle of sustained attention.
The urgency of the ephemeral
Stories that disappear in 24 hours and feeds that are constantly updated fuel the fear of missing out. That FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) pushes users to check, return and engage more frequently. Ephemeral content forces you to be present, and few things are more powerful than getting your audience to want to return to your digital space.
Unpretentious closeness
Short formats allow you to show what doesn’t fit in a static post or an overly produced piece: movement, tone, gestures, backstage. That more human and immediate territory is where brands can connect more authentically with their community.
A ten-second clip can convey values, explain processes, present products, or generate empathy. But the challenge is not just to attract attention; it is to be consistent with the brand identity and contribute something relevant in a very short time. In this sense, effective social media strategies are key for brands and businesses.
Take advantage of the trend without losing sight of your strategy
Posting for the sake of posting doesn’t work. Integrating stories, reels, and TikToks requires clarity of purpose and a strategy that combines rhythm, consistency, and user understanding.
A few key points:
- Understand audience habits to identify when and how they consume content.
- Adapt each message to the format, understanding that each platform has its own language.
- Be consistent, because in these formats, recurrence is just as important as creativity.
- Measure and adjust, as feedback is immediate and algorithms change very quickly and almost constantly.
Brands that understand this logic not only gain visibility, but also generate a stronger, more everyday connection with their community.
The real change
The rise of short, ephemeral content is not a passing fad. It is a direct consequence of how we consume information today, the way we seek quick stimuli, and an ecosystem that rewards immediacy. It is yet another example of the saturation and search for originality in marketing that characterises social media today.
For brands, this scenario opens up a clear opportunity to connect in an authentic, fast and relevant way. In an environment where everything moves so quickly, those who know how to take advantage of these formats not only get noticed, they also get remembered. Of course, they must do so as part of a broader and more coherent approach within their overall content marketing strategy.
