[jaredsohn]

I've started using these platforms for learning (stretch exercises, argentine tango patterns/musicality I might want to lead, etc) and am finding the experience to work better in those kinds of situations. Agree it can be brain rot if using it for entertainment, politics, etc.

[ericmcer]

It is still doing the same thing, the dopamine hit is just feeling like you learned something instead of seeing something funny/shocking/etc.

The idea you can gain any kind of actual experience/knowledge about a thing through a series of 30s clips that are competing with millions of other 30s clips to grab you is folly.

[dyauspitr]

Why short form though? I’ve always learned much better from long form, more comprehensive videos. Or I guess to put it another way I don’t believe I’ve ever learned anything besides quick hacks on reels/shorts/tiktok. Not even quick guitar licks.

[jaredsohn]

To respond to everyone at once -

I have experience and teachers so I'm not solely relying on these videos. I use the short videos as a fast discovery of what's out there and I'll sometimes watch long videos afterward. LLM sites also work well for this discovery and I use that sometimes but it is a bit more work from me (which sounds strange to write re: AI) because I have to type out what I want instead of relying on algorithms that use data collected about me.

I use Facebook Reels (rather thank TikTok) which show me stuff anyway after I click on a link shared by friends so having it show me things relevant to learning seems like the best option here in case I click on next video.

[xandrius]

Honest question: why wouldn't you simply search for exactly the same things but on longer format platforms such as YouTube?

[TeMPOraL]

TikTok isn't about searching, it's about tuning the algorithm to find just the things you want, without necessarily being explicit about what you want.