Digital Evolution

Reflecting on my digital journey from Blogger to AI-powered content creation tools has revealed a fascinating shift in how we connect with audiences online. Having started my business before Instagram existed, when Pinterest was barely a thing, and Facebook was an uncharted frontier, I've witnessed firsthand how dramatically content creation has evolved.

Recently while clearing storage on my phone, I rediscovered years of saved Instagram stories – those early 9-second glimpses into daily life that once defined social media engagement. The progression is striking: from those quick, casual clips to structured reels following trending formats, and now to the carefully produced 11-12 minute YouTube videos I create using multiple camera setups. This evolution mirrors a significant change in audience behavior that savvy content creators must understand.

The rise of TikTok and Instagram stories conditioned us toward what I call the "mindless scroll" – that passive consumption without true engagement. Yet paradoxically, we're now seeing audiences crave substance and depth. My analytics reveal something unexpected: contrary to assumptions about mobile viewing dominance, people are increasingly watching my content on YouTube TV, seeking educational value while relaxing on their couches. This represents a full-circle moment where long-form content is making a comeback, but with a crucial difference – viewers want authentic expertise that addresses their specific challenges.

What does this mean for you? As attention patterns evolve, the most effective way to build lasting audience connections is through substantive, educational content that demonstrates your expertise while genuinely helping solve problems. The platforms will continue changing, but the fundamental desire for value remains constant. Are you creating content that meets this growing hunger for depth and substance?

Chapters

• 0:00 Being a Digital Dinosaur
• 0:56 Evolution of Video Content
• 3:14 Changing Attention Spans
• 4:10 Rise of Long-Form Content
• 4:50 Recommendations for Content Creators

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

As many of you know, I consider myself a dinosaur when it comes to being online. I started my business on Blogger. I started it prior to Instagram. Existing Pinterest was barely a thing. Facebook, of course, existed, but no one really knew what they were doing. It was a wild, wild west.

Speaker 0: 0:20

And what I have watched over the years and, of course, as we continue to go into 2026, we're watching AI. We're watching all the different tools and applications that you can use now so that you can start to be more efficient. But the reason that I really want to talk to you about the fact that I have been around for so long is that I think it's important to reflect upon where you have come, to look at the changes that have actually happened, to go back through some of the old video content, the way that we displayed information, how often we posted. So I recently got a phone new one that needed to then have me go through and do some updates on the video because, of course, I have zero space. So, as I was going through, all of my old Instagram stories had saved to my photo roll, which, of course, was taking up a ton of space, which, of course, then got deleted. But prior to deleting those, I was able to look through and watch and see how things have changed over the years with video content. I started out looking at reels where it was just a post and maybe it would have a quick, quick little caption with a nine seconds. Seemed to be what it was for stories, because all the videos were nine seconds and some of it was me talking and some of it was clips of the kids or clips of the dog or whatever it might be everyday life, trying to connect with my audience. And then, as I got further along in the years, I could watch and see how the stories developed, how I was starting to create real content.

Speaker 0: 2:02

Um, for reels, where I was having little clips of videos here and here of me doing specific trending things, so that I could create a reel. That content had also, of course, been saved to my phone. So now I can continue to see it as it develops at the videos that are taking up tons of storage, because I am using my phone to record my YouTube videos, where I'm having two different recording opportunities with my phone and an iPad in order to have two different cameras, so that, as I'm doing the content, I can go back and forth between the two. So it's gone from this super short nine second to this long form 11, 12 minutes and it brought me to the fact of what we have watched happen and I've recently talked quite a bit about this within my masterminds and inside insiders the fact that the capacity for people to pay attention has changed, and it's largely because of the way that short form video TikTok, instagram stories, reels, all of it have caused us to just have that mindless scroll.

Speaker 0: 3:14

We're not really paying attention to what we are doing, we're just mindlessly going through it and barely paying attention to it at all. So now we see the importance of having long form content that goes more in depth, that gives people an opportunity to really see what you know. It's not just a matter of giving the insider scoop, the reality TV. It's the being able to educate and articulate what you truly believe in and what you're trying to pass on to your audience to help them learn. And I find this really interesting because if, even if we were to look back at like traditional television from back then, reality TV was huge when Instagram stories and all of it started, and I think that that's why it was used that way to show the behind the scenes.

Speaker 0: 4:05

And then, as we started to go long, now we are seeing more and more long form video not only getting picked up by YouTube, but it's getting picked up by YouTube TV.

Speaker 0: 4:15

If you're on YouTube, I would highly recommend looking at your analytics and getting a feel for where you're being watched, because I expected it to be on mobile and it's actually YouTube TV that it is happening. People are watching on their televisions long form video consistently and I think we're going to continue to see that change because of Netflix and the way things have kind of gone across. As people are laying in bed or sitting on their couch, they are looking for content that is going to continue to educate them. It's going to give them a chance to connect with people. So, as we were reflecting upon where we have come and where we are looking to go, I would highly recommend finding those ways to be able to get in front of your audience, to educate them and truly let them know who you are by giving them long form content that is going to educate them and be able to advocate for solving the problem that you do for your audience.