Over 60% of the global online population now watches ‘swiping’ short-form video content on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels every day, according to new research from Ampere Analysis. Given the power of social media algorithms in predicting what content viewers will want to watch before they do, Ampere expects this figure to rise.

The algorithmic short-form swiping features of social media now score as the second-most used media format daily (63%), after generalist social media apps (73%). These usage rates exceed broadcast TV channels (47%), influencer videos (47%), long-form streaming services (46%), music subscriptions (40%) and gaming (34%). The respondents who watch short-form swiping content daily are most likely to use YouTube (78% had visited in the past week), Instagram (41%), TikTok (39%), and Facebook (38%).

The popularity of short-form content swiping extends beyond the Gen Z audience. While 18-to-24-year-olds are most likely to view short-form swiping content (73% daily usage), those aged 45-to-54 and 55-to-64 also have significant daily usage at 58% and 49%, respectively.

Short-form swiping has particularly taken hold in Southeast Asia. The Philippines (83%), Thailand (83%), and Indonesia (82%) have the highest proportions of online populations watching this format every day - across all the markets Ampere surveyed.