5. Social might enter its “serious” era

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4. A renewed appetite for longer storytelling
Even as short-form video continues to dominate, the conversation is expanding to include more thoughtful storytelling. There is data to suggest audiences are beginning to crave depth alongside the quick hits of content that dominate their feeds.

A resurgence in serialized content (see TikTok’s Reese Teesa, Alexis Bittar and Julian Sewell’s ‘80s series) points to a demand for stories and dramatic sagas people can follow obsessively.

We are headed toward a “long-form renaissance,” said one survey respondent from usa student data Austin. This includes more “Substacks, YouTube, television and magazines. People will hit brain rot fatigue.”

This doesn’t spell the end of short-form, but marketers and creators are seeing a shift. Across nearly all platforms, the top way users want brands to show up is with entertaining content. People are looking for an escape from stress, boredom, you name it, and brands that can deliver on that will earn attention and loyalty.

“I’m excited to see social video format boomerang back to longer-form 16×9 content in 2025, particularly on YouTube as it ramps up to position itself as a TV/cable alternative. The TikTok-ification of short form will still thrive, but my team is so skilled and amped-up to approach the challenge of capturing audiences and maximizing viewer retention when we, and the digital world, have been used to distilled messaging lasting just a handful of seconds. As someone who loves to dive into narrative storytelling, this has me excited to shift more resources to higher-produced, longer-form content that can be cut down and optimized as short-form for other platforms,” said Adri Cowan, Director of Digital Marketing Marvel Brand at Walt Disney Studios.