From Stewart Lee in his wolf costume to Werner Herzog’s elaborate steak sizzle, artists are now under immense pressure to ‘chase the algorithm’ and connect with audiences online. Many are experiencing burnout and pushing back against these demands.
A recent meme depicted a Tony Soprano-esque character with the caption: “Imagine telling him he needs to create short-form content to engage the algorithm.” This sentiment feels increasingly unavoidable. Short-form videos now constitute a significant portion of internet traffic, with platforms like TikTok and Instagram seeing a substantial increase in short-form video publications. Algorithms often favor videos featuring faces, pushing professionals from various fields – chefs, lawyers, podcasters, and critics, professions once considered primarily off-camera – to turn the lens on themselves.
Even Werner Herzog, a film director who previously eschewed social media, is now engaging in activities like sizzling steaks and unboxing videos for his online audience.
English Translation:
From Stewart Lee in his wolf costume to Werner Herzog’s big steak sizzle-up, artists are now under huge duress to ‘chase the algorithm’ and reach audiences. Many of them are hitting burnout – and hitting back.
There was a meme recently featuring a character resembling Tony Soprano, looking characteristically menacing, with a caption that read: “Imagine telling him he needs to create short-form content to engage the algorithm.” But that sentiment feels inescapable: 82% of all internet traffic is now made up of videos, and the number of short-form videos published on platforms like TikTok and Instagram grew by 71% in the year from 2024. You may have noticed there is a particularly high number of videos featuring people’s faces, which the algorithm rewards. All of a sudden, chefs, lawyers, podcasters, critics – all people with jobs once associated with an off-camera existence – are turning the lens on themselves. Even film director Werner Herzog, once a proud non-social media user, is now sizzling steaks and doing unboxing videos to camera.