Happy Monday and welcome to TrendCore, your monthly deep-dive into the DNA of Trends.
Some of you may know that I used to work for the ad agency TBWA, which has its own trend-spotting division called Backslash. During my time there, I was their trend spotter for Switzerland, reporting on macro-trends like Nowstalgia - the idea of bringing established IP like Pokémon into the present by layering it with new technology, such as AR, creating Pokémon Go.
So last week, I thought it might be useful to revisit that mindset - spotting macro-trends that shape the big picture - and take a deeper dive into one in particular once a month.
Today, I wanna talk about how short attention spans are actually reinventing long-form content love.
Intro
We live in a world defined by infinite content options and finite attention, two seemingly contradictory forces are reshaping the future of television and branded entertainment: Swipe Society and Story Economy. One demands speed, novelty, and next-next-next. The other values immersion, world-building, and emotional investment. At first glance, they clash. In truth, they’re colliding - and creating something new.
Welcome to the age of snackable sagas, where TikTok teasers fuel Netflix premieres, where one swipe-worthy moment can lead to hours of streaming, and where the most powerful media brands master both brevity and depth.
1. Defining the Terms: From FOMO to Flow
Swipe Society
"Swipe Society" refers to the digitally conditioned reflex of swiping, scrolling, skipping — always searching for the next dopamine hit. It’s driven by:
Short-form platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts
Gen Z behaviour, which prioritises novelty, relatability, and rapid discovery
The algorithmic feed, which rewards reaction, not reflection
🎯 The result? A media diet high in motion, low in commitment. But that doesn't mean audiences aren't connecting — it just means storytelling must evolve.
Story Economy
Contrastingly, the "Story Economy" is the cultural premium placed on narrative-rich content — from bingeable dramas to immersive branded series. This economy thrives on:
Longform storytelling (e.g. Netflix, HBO, K-dramas)
Franchise IP (e.g. Marvel, Stranger Things, Squid Game)
Brand storytelling that entertains first, sells later
🎯 The Story Economy is sticky. It builds fandoms. It turns viewers into evangelists. And now, it’s being fuelled - not threatened - by the very swipe culture that surrounds it.
2. The New Media Paradox: Short Attention, Long Engagement
We’re not attention-deficient. We’re attention-selective.
TikTok’s average video length may be 15–60 seconds, but Gen Z will binge 10 hours of “One Piece” on Netflix - or even on TikTok - if the hook is right. Just look at the Who TF Did I Marry? phenomenon — a TikTok-native true crime series that spiralled into binge-worthy obsession and became a full-blown case study in platform-driven storytelling.
We swipe until we find our next obsession. In other words: discovery is fast, but devotion is deep.
Case in Point: Netflix x TikTok
Netflix launched a #TribesChallenge on TikTok to promote its post-apocalyptic series Tribes of Europa.
It invited users to embody the show’s tribal loyalties using branded effects and creative costumes.
The campaign, boosted by ten prominent German creators, racked up 1.5 billion video views - a massive awareness driver (Ads TikTok)
Another Example:
BBC Scotland: The Agency: Unfiltered: This reality series follows six Scottish TikTok creators competing for agency contracts. It’s a TV show based on TikTok-native talent and trends, bridging short-form identities to full-length broadcast. It’s already hit 1.2 million iPlayer streams and won a BAFTA Scotland award. (The Times)
🎯 Swipe leads to story. That’s the new conversion funnel.
3. The Rise of “Snackable Sagas” and Scaled Lore
Swipe Society doesn’t kill longform storytelling — it reformats the entry point.
Today’s audience doesn’t “discover” content via TV spots or banner ads. They find it through:
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