According to a study by Ampere Analysis, currently more than 60% of Internet users worldwide watch short "swipe" video content every day on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels.
With the ability of social media algorithms to predict the content viewers want to see even before they know what they want to see, Ampere predicts this rate will continue to increase.
Another report from DataReportal Digital 2025 shows that adults using the Internet globally say they spend an average of 6 hours and 37 minutes per week (equivalent to about 57 minutes per day) watching Reels, TikTok and Shorts-style content.
Among those who watch short swipe video content daily, the platforms they are most likely to use are YouTube (78%), Instagram (41%), TikTok (39%) and Facebook (38%).
According to YouTube, Shorts content (short videos) of this platform consumes 200 billion views per day. Meanwhile, Similarweb App Intelligence data shows typical TikTok users on Android applications spend an average of 1 hour and 37 minutes per day on TikTok.
Social media algorithms are the factor behind the rate of using short swipe videos globally. These platforms use highly effective applications to provide appropriate and engaging content for users, thereby creating a clear advantage over traditional media.
While broadcast television provides viewers with many different choices, social networks are based on algorithms that can predict what users most likely want to see even before they know they want to see it.
According to studies, the appeal of short videos comes from the combination of uncertain reward mechanisms, personalization algorithms and fast content pace.
Each swipe opens up the possibility of encountering an interesting, humorous or surprising video. When the algorithm continuously learns from the user's behavior to provide more appropriate content, viewers can form a loop: swipe - receive reward - continue swiping.
According to Statista, video viewing behavior data shows that users especially prefer highly entertaining and emotional content such as music, humor, memes/virals; besides, there are also content about life, eating, beauty, tutorials and popular culture.
On TikTok, sample studies also show that humorous content, music, life, fashion - beauty are popular content groups or have significant interaction levels.
Platforms like TikTok or Instagram Reels operate like "digital gambling machines", providing a stream of novel, emotional and concise content constantly, making the brain always crave immediate satisfaction.
The content that attracts the most views in short videos is often based on factors: high emotional resonance, instant empathy, or extreme novelty.
Because short video platforms closely monitor signals such as viewing time and the ability of users to continue watching, the first seconds play a particularly important role. Studies on TikTok show that the first 2-3 seconds can significantly determine whether users continue to watch or swipe to other content.
However, the situation of "addiction" to short videos is potentially having many consequences, especially for teenagers and the 18-24 age group, which are among the groups that consume short videos most often.
According to Forbes, a year-long study of 1,567 Chinese high school students found a significant link between using too many short videos and the decline in the ability to overcome difficulties and pressures in learning, or in other words, the ability to recover.
Researchers found that continuously consuming short videos that bring immediate satisfaction can narrow students' vision of the future, thereby reducing their ability to cope with failures and obstacles.
This leads to a situation where "without a vision of the future, there is no perseverance in the present", when immediate satisfaction hinders the ability to aim for long-term goals.
The study also pointed out a loop of back-and-forth effects: psychological vulnerability makes young people tend to surf videos excessively, while surfing too much continues to increase vulnerability.
