Term of the Moment
Das Keyboard
Definition: short-form video
A video relatively short in length. Also called a "vertical video," short-form videos generally last only a few seconds, although they can last a couple minutes. The format is typically in vertical orientation by taking a "portrait video" on a smartphone or using a video editor to convert a regular horizontal video into the vertical format.
First Vine, Then Others
In 2012, Vine Labs introduced the first short-form video service, featuring six-second clips that could be rendered on Facebook and Twitter. Today, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels are the major short-form platforms. In 2025, X/Twitter added short-form videos.
Entertaining and Addictive
Short-from videos, whether on the phone or computer can be extremely addictive because of the wealth of entertainment they offer. People spend hours watching them, and AI adds a huge amount of variety. Like all social media, users are continuosly fed the videos they favor. See also short-form writing.
First Short-Form Movie Clip
First Vine, Then Others
In 2012, Vine Labs introduced the first short-form video service, featuring six-second clips that could be rendered on Facebook and Twitter. Today, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and Facebook Reels are the major short-form platforms. In 2025, X/Twitter added short-form videos.
Entertaining and Addictive
Short-from videos, whether on the phone or computer can be extremely addictive because of the wealth of entertainment they offer. People spend hours watching them, and AI adds a huge amount of variety. Like all social media, users are continuosly fed the videos they favor. See also short-form writing.
Considered the first moving picture, this Roundhay Garden Scene in Leeds, England was a two-second silent film shot in 1888. Many short-form films were shot after that, especially featuring scantily clad women, which became the precursor to pornographic films that lasted several minutes. See film. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.)