Short-form videos have become the most common media format consumed by Taiwanese, ahead of social media, the Taiwan Network Information Center said in a report released on Wednesday last week.
In a survey commissioned by the center, 78.46 percent of respondents had watched a short-form video in the past three months, surpassing the 76.86 percent who had used a social media platform.
More than three-fifths of respondents said they watched short videos daily across multiple platforms, while nearly half (49.98 percent) reported viewing short videos multiple times a day, compared with 8.06 percent who said they watched once a day.
Photo: CNA
The report defined a short-form video as content lasting between 15 seconds and three minutes on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The social media platforms it surveyed were Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, PTT, X and Dcard.
The survey covered individuals aged 18 and older, and was conducted from July 28 to Sept. 1.
Tao Chen-chao (陶振超), a professor in the Department of Communication and Technology at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, said the survey included short-form video usage for the first time this year and described the results as striking.
The data showed that short videos have embedded themselves into daily life in a relatively short period, and their influence should not be underestimated, Tao said.
By age group, short-form video consumption was highest among respondents aged 18 to 29 and 30 to 39, at 96.73 percent and 93.86 percent respectively.
Usage also exceeded 85 percent among those aged 40 to 49 and 50 to 59, was more than 65 percent among respondents aged 60 to 69, and surpassed 30 percent among those aged 70 to 79.
Age was once considered a key indicator of media usage, Tao said, but recent trends suggest that it is no longer decisive.
Instead, whether technology meets users’ daily needs and life circumstances has become more important.
Elderly people and baby boomers also show high short-video usage because the format is easy to use, and provides accessible entertainment and information, he said.
The survey found that 56.09 percent of respondents said they spent more time scrolling short videos than expected, and 36.22 percent said that doing so interfered with other activities, yet most of them reported feeling happy rather than regretful about their viewing habits.
“Taiwanese people feel happy and genuinely enjoy it,” Tao said.
Tao said he was not pessimistic about whether short videos would replace reading, comparing the concern with earlier fears that television would erode reading.
That is because while media formats evolve, the demand for reading persists, even as delivery shifts toward digital formats such as e-books, Tao said.
Although attention is limited, people can still prioritize essential tasks through self-control, Tao said.
While platforms offer options to fast-forward, most viewers still watch entire videos for immersion or social interaction, he added.
“Short videos deliver fresh content quickly, but they will not replace all other forms of content,” Tao said.
Hsieh Pei-fang (謝佩芳), a board member of the Digital Marketing Association, said the rise of short videos is not inherently negative, calling them an efficient way to convey information.
However, she warned that excessive consumption could affect attention and cognitive abilities, underscoring the importance of media literacy so users know when to stop.
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