Torres Pit on the art of managing attention in the short-form era

As attention spans in Hong Kong continue to contract, short-form video has emerged as a powerhouse of digital engagement, proving that narrative depth is no longer the exclusive domain of the silver screen. This format transcends the fleeting nature of viral trends by utilizing episodic structures to build genuine anticipation, familiarity, and long-term audience loyalty.

Don't miss: Survey: 40% of HK users engage with videos on Threads

The rise of short-form content is backed by shifting consumption habits. According to Omnicom Media’s “Hong Kong Video Content Viewing Landscape 2025 Q1” survey, short-video platforms are dominating viewership, with TikTok leading at 39%, followed by Xiaohongshu (28%) and Bilibili (25%). Meanwhile, Meta’s Threads has seen its usage triple to 34% since its 2023 launch, with approximately 40% of its user base actively engaging with video content.

This shift is reflected in the local advertising market. Recent data from admanGo indicates that social media adspend in Hong Kong grew significantly in Q1 2026. Instagram led the market, surpassing HK$1 billion with a 29% year-on-year increase. Facebook followed closely at HK$998 million (up 23%), while YouTube’s branded content adspend reached HK$60 million. Threads also made its mark, recording HK$39 million in adspend for the quarter.

For Torres Pit (pictured) - a content creator with 433,000 Instagram followers and 1.2 million YouTube subscribers - the efficacy of short-form content lies in its alignment with modern lifestyles. "No one’s really sitting down with loads of spare time - you’re catching people in small gaps throughout the day. So instead of asking for a big commitment, you’re just meeting them where they already are." He added:

Because of that, you don’t have the luxury of a slow build. You kind of have to drop straight into something - emotion, tension, curiosity - within the first few seconds or you lose them.

The power of constraint

Rather than seeing brevity as a limitation, Pit views the format as a tool for sharper storytelling. "What I like about it is the constraint. You’re forced to strip everything back to the essentials: the core conflict, the character, and the payoff. There’s no space for filler, which makes the final product feel more precise. When it works, it doesn’t feel 'short'—it feels tight and intentional."

Beyond the format, Pit said pacing is the most critical element of short-form content, though it is often misunderstood. It is not merely a matter of speed; rather, it is about the economy of time.

"Because the format is so brief, every second matters. You can’t afford anything unnecessary, but if everything is high-speed all the time, it just becomes noise," Pit explained. "Sometimes slowing down - a pause, a look, or a moment of silence - actually hits harder because it stands out against the frantic pace of the feed."

Ultimately, Pit views pacing as a mechanism for managing attention. While pacing in long-form media guides the viewer through a journey, in short-form, it is the primary tool used to prevent the audience from scrolling away.

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