Reel sharing platform within Youtube
YouTube Shorts
is the
short-form
section of the American
video
-sharing site
YouTube
. Shorts focuses on
vertical
videos that are less than 60 seconds of
duration
and various features for user interaction. As of May 2024, Shorts have collectively earned over 5 trillion views since the platform was made available to the public on July 13, 2021, which include video views that pre-date the YouTube Shorts feature.
[1]
Creators earn money based on the amount of views they receive, or through ad revenue.
[2]
The increased popularity of YouTube Shorts has led to concerns about addiction for teenagers.
[3]
History
[
edit
]
YouTube's intent in the creation of YouTube Shorts in 2019 was to compete with
TikTok
,
[4]
an online video platform for short clips. The company started by experimenting with vertical videos up to a length of 30 seconds in their own section within the YouTube homepage.
[5]
This early
beta
was released only to a small number of people. Shortly after TikTok was banned in India in September 2020, the YouTube Shorts beta was made available in India.
[6]
In March 2021, the beta was released in the U.S. and was later globally released on July 13, 2021.
[7]
[8]
In August 2022, YouTube announced plans to make the Shorts feature available on its smart TV app.
[9]
In December, YouTube published its annual blog post documenting the top videos and creators of the year, with Shorts receiving its own section of the post for the first time.
[10]
At the annual Made on YouTube event in New York on September 21, 2023,
Google
announced YouTube Create, a
video editing app
designed for YouTube creators, in order to facilitate the growth of Shorts. At launch, the app was only available on Android.
[11]
[12]
Features
[
edit
]
YouTube Shorts presents user-generated vertical or square videos up to 60 seconds long.
[13]
[14]
[15]
It allows users to add licensed music and on-screen captions.
[6]
Viewers can scroll through an endless feed of videos algorithmically tailored for the user.
[7]
[16]
Although intended to be watched on smartphones, YouTube Shorts can be viewed on all other devices.
[17]
YouTube Shorts includes features that are similar to those of TikTok, such as live videos, “collabs”, easy editing tools, and playlists.
[4]
It also includes tools that edit long-form YouTube videos into YouTube Shorts.
[4]
YouTube Shorts offers creators the ability to interact with viewers by responding to comments with additional videos, a feature primarily made popular by TikTok.
[18]
Shorts creators can also use stickers to interact with their audience through formats such as Q&As.
[4]
The
Financial Times
reports that fewer than 10 percent of creators use YouTube's editing tools for Shorts.
[19]
Many use TikTok's tools instead, though videos with TikTok branding are downgraded from YouTube's platform.
[19]
YouTube Shorts added a feature that sends default reminders to users ages 13 to 17 to take a break or go to bed due to the increase in young users.
[3]
There is currently no measure to restrict the use of the application.
[3]
Usage
[
edit
]
Since its inception in 2019, the usage of YouTube Shorts has continuously increased. In September 2022,
Alphabet
announced that YouTube Shorts generated over 30 billion views daily.
[2]
The number of monthly users also increased from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 2 billion as of 2023.
[3]
The popularity of YouTube Shorts has caused some concerns within the company, with some believing that it will "cannibalize" YouTube's long-form video content.
[19]
YouTube's official response is that Shorts is designed to be an additional format option for creators.
[19]
Monetization
[
edit
]
In August 2021, YouTube released the YouTube Shorts fund, a system in which the top Shorts creators could get paid for their work. YouTube described this as a way to "monetize and reward creators for their content" and said it would be a $100 million fund distributed throughout 2021 and 2022, similar to TikTok's $1 billion creator fund.
[20]
YouTube told
The Hollywood Reporter
that the fund is "just a stopgap until YouTube develops a long-term monetization and support tool for short-form creators".
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24]
In September 2022, YouTube announced that Shorts would become part of the YouTube Partner Program starting in February 2023.
[2]
[25]
[26]
The program allows eligible creators to receive a share of the ad revenue.
[2]
Partnered YouTube channels can also utilize the 'members' and 'supers' features that allow users to pay a monthly subscription for the content or a one time donation respectively.
[27]
YouTube Shorts creators receive a percentage of ad money earned on ads that play before and after their videos similar to YouTube.
[28]
Creators on YouTube Shorts earn 45 percent of the ad money, while creators on YouTube earn 55 percent.
[28]
According to the YouTube policies, creators who upload content with some degree of copyright infringement, non-original content, or other violations of the community guidelines will not be eligible for monetization.
[29]
Health concerns
[
edit
]
Researchers from the
Guizhou University
of Finance and Economics and
Western Michigan University
found that short-form videos like YouTube Shorts and TikTok may make it easier for young adults and children to develop addictive behavior because short-form videos provide "short bursts of thrills."
[30]
These researchers found that college students in the U.S. and China watch short-form videos for entertainment, knowledge, and to build social identities.
[3]
The Wall Street Journal
reported that some parents are concerned about the effects of short-form videos on their children, as there is no way to disable YouTube Shorts or set limits.
[3]
When children watch short-form videos, they learn to expect continual stimulation and fast-paced changes, which can cause problems when engaging in activities that require greater focus, such as reading.
[3]
Recent studies highlighted the connection between short-form videos such as YouTube Shorts and the brain's reward system, specifically dopamine release. According to Dr. Anna Lembke, a psychiatrist and chief of Stanford University's dual diagnosis addiction clinic, brief attention-grabbing videos act as powerful stimuli triggering dopamine surges akin to other addictive behaviors.
[31]
The rapid and easily consumable nature of short-form videos can elicit high levels of dopamine; since dopamine serves as a motivator rather than a direct source of pleasure, individuals are compelled to seek rewarding activities and become addicted to them. Such neurochemical responses lead to addictive patterns and behaviors, entering a vicious cycle. Digital addiction can lead to shorter attention spans and slower cognitive processing.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Spangler, Todd (January 25, 2022).
"YouTube Shorts Tops 5 Trillion Views to Date, Platform to Test Shopping and Branded Content for TikTok-Style Videos"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on May 2, 2022
. Retrieved
February 17,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Pierce, David (September 16, 2022).
"YouTube is turning on the money hose for Shorts ? and taking on TikTok for real"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
Jargon, Julie (August 12, 2023).
"This Was Supposed to be the Antidote for TikTok Brain. It's Just as Bad"
.
The Wall Street Journal
.
ISSN
0099-9660
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"YouTube's Shorts already rivals TikTok with 2 billion views per month. Now it has 'collabs,' stickers for audience participation and other new features"
.
Yahoo Finance
. August 1, 2023.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
"YouTube test features and experiments - YouTube Community"
. Archived from
the original
on March 7, 2020.
- ^
a
b
"YouTube Shorts launches in India after Delhi TikTok ban"
.
The Guardian
. September 15, 2020.
Archived
from the original on February 9, 2021
. Retrieved
February 15,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Gartenberg, Chaim (March 18, 2021).
"YouTube Shorts arrives in the US to take on TikTok, but the beta is still half-baked"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on May 30, 2022
. Retrieved
February 15,
2022
.
- ^
Spangler, Todd (July 13, 2021).
"YouTube Shorts, Video Giant's TikTok Copycat, Is Rolling Out in 100-Plus Countries"
.
Archived
from the original on December 16, 2022
. Retrieved
December 16,
2022
.
- ^
"YouTube set to launch short-form video app Shorts on its smart TV"
.
Mid-day
. August 24, 2022.
Archived
from the original on August 29, 2022
. Retrieved
August 29,
2022
.
- ^
"A year on YouTube: 2022's top trending videos & creators in the US"
.
blog.youtube
.
Archived
from the original on December 16, 2022
. Retrieved
December 16,
2022
.
- ^
Perez, Sarah (September 21, 2023).
"YouTube debuts a new app, YouTube Create, for editing videos, adding effects and more"
.
TechCrunch
.
Archived
from the original on September 21, 2023
. Retrieved
September 26,
2023
.
- ^
Hayes, Dade (September 21, 2023).
"YouTube Adds AI 'Dream Screen' As New Option For Shorts Creators"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on September 21, 2023
. Retrieved
September 26,
2023
.
- ^
Spangler, Todd (October 15, 2021).
"YouTube Shorts at One Year: What the Video Giant Has Learned About the 60-Second Format ? and What's Next"
.
Archived
from the original on August 7, 2022
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
"How to Make YouTube Shorts: Everything You Need to Know"
. January 12, 2022.
Archived
from the original on June 30, 2022
. Retrieved
February 14,
2022
.
- ^
Ro.
"YouTube Shorts soon to get custom voiceover feature like TikTok"
.
GSMArena.com
.
Archived
from the original on June 30, 2022
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
"YouTube Shorts soon to get custom voiceover feature like TikTok"
.
GSMArena.com
.
Archived
from the original on June 30, 2022
. Retrieved
February 11,
2022
.
- ^
"YouTube Shorts ? Competition for TikTok and Instagram Reels"
.
IONOS Digitalguide
.
Archived
from the original on July 1, 2022
. Retrieved
March 11,
2022
.
- ^
Keck, Catie (February 10, 2022).
"YouTube is adding new ways for creators to make money with Shorts and shopping"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on June 3, 2023
. Retrieved
February 17,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Criddle, Cristina (September 3, 2023).
"Shorts risks cannibalising core YouTube business, say senior staff"
.
Financial Times
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
"YouTube Launches New $100 Million Fund for Shorts Creators, Adds New Creative Tools for Shorts Clips"
.
Social Media Today
.
Archived
from the original on February 14, 2022
. Retrieved
February 14,
2022
.
- ^
Kastrenakes, Jacob (August 3, 2021).
"YouTube creators can now get $10,000 per month for making Shorts"
.
The Verge
.
Archived
from the original on February 20, 2022
. Retrieved
February 20,
2022
.
- ^
Chan, J. Clara (August 26, 2021).
"TikTok Creators Turn to YouTube Shorts Amid "Insane" Subscriber Growth"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
.
Archived
from the original on February 20, 2022
. Retrieved
February 20,
2022
.
- ^
YouTube Creators (August 3, 2021).
"YouTube Shorts Fund"
.
YouTube
.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2022
. Retrieved
February 20,
2022
.
- ^
"New ways to earn on YouTube - YouTube Help"
.
support.google.com
.
Archived
from the original on December 16, 2022
. Retrieved
December 16,
2022
.
- ^
"YouTube Shorts monetization policies"
.
YouTube Help
. April 21, 2023. Archived from
the original
on April 21, 2023.
- ^
Benjamin, Brandon.
"YouTube Promotion Services"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2023
.
- ^
"Turn on and manage Super Thanks - YouTube Help"
.
support.google.com
. Retrieved
December 12,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Grant, Nico (September 15, 2022).
"YouTube Opens More Pathways for Creators to Make Money on the Platform"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
"YouTube Shorts monetization policies - YouTube Help"
.
support.google.com
.
Archived
from the original on April 21, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
Zhang, Ning; Hazarika, Bidyut; Chen, Kuanchin; Shi, Yinan (August 1, 2023).
"A cross-national study on the excessive use of short-video applications among college students"
.
Computers in Human Behavior
.
145
: 107752.
doi
:
10.1016/j.chb.2023.107752
.
ISSN
0747-5632
.
Archived
from the original on November 29, 2023
. Retrieved
November 9,
2023
.
- ^
Waters, Jamie (August 22, 2021).
"Constant craving: how digital media turned us all into dopamine addicts"
.
The Observer
.
ISSN
0029-7712
.
Archived
from the original on May 8, 2024
. Retrieved
January 10,
2024
.
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