When was the last time you read an article from start to finish? Or listened to an entire podcast episode? Instead of consuming long-form content, we are increasingly gravitating toward short clips extracted from longer pieces—and, in many cases, abandoning those longer works altogether. Known as the “clip economy,” I explore how the dominance of short-form video is transforming the media industry.

Legacy media organizations like The New York Times are adapting to these changing habits by embracing TikTok-style vertical videos. They’re also recognizing the growing influence of personality-driven content: reporters are building audiences around their own identities rather than relying solely on institutional credibility. Even Spotify now puts its editors on camera for New Music Friday.

As institutions start to behave like creators, and TikTok-style vertical videos continue to dominate, I ask: What does this mean for the future of media?

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