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Measuring the Attention Retention Effectiveness of Sludge-Content on Tiktok or Reels

Users of Various Ages

Pratyush Ambadi

AD619 Applied Neuromarketing

October 01, 2023

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3-4

Research Objective 4

Technological Application 4-5

Approach 5

References 6
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Executive Summary:

In the age of short form content that’s created the constant scrolling through content platforms

like TiktTok, Instagram Reels, and many others, it has become a very relevant question to ask if our

attention spans as a society has shrunk as a result. While we mentally switch tabs from content to content,

are we genuinely capturing everything on our screens? Has our affinity for longer forms of content and

entertainment dwindled away with attention spans? Many people, especially with regards to younger

generations, have questioned whether social media has affected their attention spans or ability to focus on

a single source of information at a time. To complement this notion, one of the most common formats of

uploading videos on Reels and Tiktok is where there are at least two videos uploaded under one post. The

format is where there is a main video or piece of content that the user is supposed to pay attention to

while there is a supplemental piece or multiple pieces of content cropped underneath or around it in an

effect to keep the user stimulated or even overstimulated. The name for this styling of content is called

“Sludge Content” where the most popular videos are from unrelated sources: a main form of content,

complemented by videos like gameplay footage of subway surfers, an ASMR video of a bar of soap being

cut, or even a clip from a cartoon or tv show (Ede-Osifo, 2023). The question being asked is, does this

methodology do its intended purpose in stimulating or overstimulating users and are viewers capturing

everything they should be from the main piece of content? Does this format work for all ages or is it just a

certain range? It is known that as we age, our brains mature and become less plastic, so there is a

possibility that such overstimulating video forms may not work for all ages. The vast usage of the Internet

all over the world has introduced new skills and ways to interact with society, possibly causing neural

changes with respect to our attention spans. With newer generations of technology users also known as

“digital natives,” many are of the opinion that technology is forming an “easily distracted generation.

(Firth, Taurus, Stubbs, et. Al, 2019)” This notion then contributes back to the original idea of sludge-

content potentially working for some ages but not all ages, or if it even works at all. This concept will be

further developed in the main research objective.

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Figure 1: Images showcasing the various stylings of Sludge Content on Tiktok (Placid App,

2023).

Research Objective:

The main research objective of this study is to answer the question: “Do sludge-content styled

videos work in retaining attention for all age ranges of short-form content (tiktok, instagram reels) users?”

The objective will be studied using multiple age ranges to determine if this format of videos is efficient

for users in retaining information about the main piece of content through measuring their attention span

or if this is age dependent.

Technological Application:

The main technology appropriate for this study would be either fMRI to measure brain activity

associated with attention span and focus on a task or another method could be to use eye tracking to

determine how much time a participant focuses on the main content at hand in a “sludge-content”

separating the data by age ranges and participants. The eye tracking method seems very appropriate in
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determining how much of the user’s attention is divided by the multiple videos (main and supplementary)

whereas fMRI seems more appropriate for measuring overall attention to the video at hand and is harder

to determine the specificity of which video the user is paying attention to.

Approach:

The approach to this study would be to get a study sample size of various ages of tiktok or instagram reels

users, possibly selecting one or the other to avoid biases. The sample size would then be shown multiple

videos of the sludge content styling, while also including videos that are of normal formatting with no

supplementary videos. Each participant would see the same videos however between each participant, it

would be randomized which video would be shown in the normal formatting (non-sludge content styling)

as a sort of control to make sure that the content of the video itself is not what affected viewers attention.

Using eye tracking, it would be possible to tell what parts of the video the viewers were paying attention

to along with if the users were truly able to pay attention to the main videos, without getting too distracted

by the supplemental videos. One other variable that could also be tested includes changing the total

number of supplemental videos in one post as well, to see to what extent the user’s attention to the main

video can be influenced. Overall, this testing methodology will test multiple ages for the effectiveness of

sludge content-styled videos in retaining viewers’ attention based on eye tracking and engagement. The

data obtained could be a viewer's eye tracking map, or percentages of where viewers were focusing their

vision during the presentation of these videos. Based on the data, it will be possible to determine what

ages this video formatting is beneficial for and can be targeted when making content, but also what ages

could potentially require this sort of “overstimulation” that defines an easily distracted generation of

technology users.

References:
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Ede-Osifo, U. (2023, April 26). “sludge content” is the latest form of escapism on TikTok.

NBCNews.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/sludge-content-tiktok-escapism-rcna77037

Firth, J., Torous, J., Stubbs, B., Firth, J. A., Steiner, G. Z., Smith, L., Alvarez-Jimenez, M.,

Gleeson, J., Vancampfort, D., Armitage, C. J., & Sarris, J. (2019, May 6). The “Online Brain”:

How the Internet may be changing our cognition. World psychiatry : official journal of the World

Psychiatric Association (WPA). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6502424/

Nolan, B. (2023, May 28). A strange tiktok trend called “sludge content” has gen Z hooked. here’s

what you need to know. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/sludge-content-gen-z-

hooked-tiktok-2023-4

Ulrich, A. (2023, July 20). What is sludge content and how to create those addicting videos.

Placid.app. https://placid.app/blog/what-is-sludge-content-and-how-to-create