Social media, specifically TikTok, have enabled the emergence of this new mode of consuming content, which consists of watching stories, often testimonials, divided into several videos, in one go.
These serial creations, each lasting between five and ten minutes on average, have found an attentive audience on the Chinese social network.
The platform, which gained fame thanks to its signature short-form content, is shaking up internet users’ expectations.
Now accustomed to scrolling through various types of content on their “For You” page, users nonetheless often find themselves drawn to longer stories, if these are spread out into several ‘chapters’ or parts. One user, in particular, has popularized the concept of micro-binging.
Reesa Teesa’s “Who TF Did I Marry?!?” series, now followed by 3.1 million subscribers on TikTok, has gone viral on TikTok in recent weeks. The story of her failed marriage to a man she describes as a “pathological liar” seems to have mesmerised internet users.
In total, the creator has shared her experience in 50 parts, all of which have racked up millions of views, some reaching 10, 20 and even 35.5 million for the first part of this testimonial. Audience numbers that could make even some major TV channels green with envy.
In the comments section, many subscribers say they’re obsessed with this “story time,” the name users give to testimonials of this kind on TikTok.
Some said they were getting their popcorn ready, while others commented that they weren’t planning on sleeping and still others joked that they were cancelling their stream subscriptions.
On TikTok, the hashtag #whotfdidimarry tallies thousands of publications with many users creating posts that show themselves watching the series in the style of a Netflix show.
The combination of a real-life confessional and a serialised, soap opera-like format brings together two components that have each hooked various content consumers over decades.
The use of cliff hangers and a true story, “it happened to me” approach, is a potent mix that once held the rapt attention of readers of so-called “confession magazines” such as “I Confess” which was aimed at young women and was published in the US between 1922 and 1932.
Meanwhile, the idea of watching very short, captivating content with cliffhangers and soap opera appeal is a driving force of the popularity of ReelShort, which has based its business model around micro-series, specifically pulpy micro-dramas of episodes lasting around 1 to 1 and a half minutes each.
Meanwhile, the micro-bingeing phenomenon is further consolidating TikTok’s popularity. This is hardly surprising, since according to a YPulse study, 55% of Generation Z young people in Europe say that TikTok is the social network that most holds their attention the most.
To capitalise on this attention, the Chinese platform has chosen to boost regular creators and long-form content to encourage monetisation. A technique that seems to be working, as the videos of many of these serial testimonials exceed five minutes – a format that is considered long on TikTok, all things being relative in this universe – users remain glued to their screens.
In fact, they spend half their time on the platform watching content lasting over a minute.