Journalism in the age of endless scrolls
In a world where attention spans are trimmed down to seconds, journalism is being reshaped into something faster and far more condensed. News is no longer something that we sit with; it’s something we swipe past. For a plethora of students, depth has quietly given way to speed, where paragraphs are replaced with panels and stories shrink into snapshots. With news being presented through brief, bold lines and compelling visuals, many may end up questioning their motivation to explore a full article.
Bite-sized news media have managed to capture users’ attention with their popping headlines and striking graphics while scrolling through their phones. Shadman Sharar Haque (Co-founder, Nutshell Today) mentioned in a 2022 The Daily Star article states, “A lot of times our content generates more reach and engagement than the original source article.” Its immense popularity is easily proven by how effectively it caters to readers online, perhaps also helping explain why students nowadays are more interested in current affairs than ever before.
While traditional journalism allows room for nuance, verification and depth, bite-sized content is designed for rapid consumption, which can at times oversimplify complex issues and sometimes sacrifice nuance for clarity or virality. Many argue that bite-sized news media undermine urgency through conveying inadequate information or are misleading with exaggerated headlines and AI-altered images that can easily make numbers, while overlooking credibility. Abbas Mohammad Mashkurur Rahman (Senior, ENH) further elaborates, “Bite-sized news increases accessibility, but its concise nature occasionally blurs out the context and complexity. Traditional journalism continues to play a vital role by providing more specific information and in-depth verification.”
Readers prefer fast information in this age of quick consumption. In this race, the bite-sized media is providing a space that traditional journalism may not fulfil. But in the end, the true challenge remains not choosing between the two but allowing for them both to complement each other, without losing what makes journalism meaningful. Because truth is not something we consume swiftly but rather reflect on, how much of it are we holding onto in the end?
