Videos don't have to be long to be full of information

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what is a 1.07 minute long video worth? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyG3zqLyW8k this is the video if you want to watch it) The people that made this animation about space debris really knew what they were doing. Not just in the sense that they knew what they were talking about. But in the sense that they were able to successfully get their message across to the viewers and it only took one minute and seven seconds.

There are two main reasons to why this video was successful. One was the length of the video, and the other was that there was no sound will the video was played. In today’s society we are kind of spoiled with technology. With being able to access almost anything instantaneously form either a computer or smart phone. We don’t really have a lot of patience for things that take a while. If it takes too long we just deem it not important enough and forget about it.

Now most people have the time to watch a one minute videos. Whether it’s on a bus ride to work or waiting for food for lunch, a minute is not going to make or break someone’s daily schedule. But let’s say that this video was five minutes long or even longer than five minutes then some people wouldn't view it. They either don’t have the time to watch it, or they just don’t want to use the time they have to watch the video.

So if someone wants to get your attention and keep it. Whatever they are showing has to be short and it has to be full of information that you can understand with only watching it once. The makers of this video were able to do that by showing what will happen if space debris keeps colliding, and how it is a growing problem. From the video viewers can get a sense of what will happen in the future if we keep ignoring the problem.

Now for the lack of sound in the video, most of us hear different sounds every day. So it’s kind of weird when you start a video and hear nothing. Some of the viewers may wait to see if there is sound later on in the video. Others may leave the page to go watch something else. But most viewers will use the silence to really focus on the message.

 Focus on the message now that may sound corny but it’s true. Just imagine if someone was reading this post and their friend, roommate, or just some random person was making a lot of noise right next to them. Now most people’s first reaction would be to tell them to stop and if that does not work then throw something at them. (Beware if you try the second option objects may be thrown back).

The point is the reader would be distracted with the sound and not really be focused on what they were reading. This is the same with any video clip that wants to get your attention. Yes loud noises may get your attention but they can also distract you from the actual message. But in this video clip the viewers can fully focus on what the video is showing them because there is no sound to distract them.