slow-form content

if i had to define it, i think outlier collections is looking to spark a hunger for slow-form content. yes, i'm trying to make "slow-form content" happen.

there’s much to say in the content creation world these days about long-form content vs short-form content. whether that is an indication of podcast or article length, describing a feature length youtube production or tiktok reel, i think those descriptors mostly indicate the time spent on intake. but what about time spent digesting?

various studies have been coming out related to our reduced attention spans, increased screen time, and objective value of information exposure as compared to only a few decades ago and - not to add a value judgement, just an observation both personally and corporately - our brains seem to spend more time pivoting, “multitasking”, and sensing than it does digesting and processing.

so when i use the phrase “slow-form content”, i think what i am after is content that requires lingering, slow chewing, and a delayed onset impact. intake that only takes its full effect with focus, presence, and some mental stickiness over time - to attach itself to other ponderings, wisdom, and information. which requires intention and slowing and coalescence.

and this is not at all a new form of content that is being pitched for pioneering here - but actually the opposite. something i would argue we all, in moments of nostalgia, long for. i think of newspapers - memories of my dad sitting at the kitchen table each morning drinking a cup of milk and combing every page of the local news. or handwritten letters - how sweet during seasons of geographical distance from loved ones, that i got to receive brief, tender notes that traveled miles and miles to reach me. or physical magazines - flipping through exciting pics and articles on any given topic, items that were carefully and intentionally collected for a cohesive collection - not just an algorithmically fed reel and picture onslaught. even here and now - i imagine we can all think of a conversation with a friend or family member that we got fully caught up in, one where the rest of the world seemed blurred out, time passing both faster and slower in some weird way, and the words, feelings, thoughts, emotions lingered. the best relational connections are sticky - over time we become different people shaped by people.

so maybe the question i have in seeking slow-form content and experiences is taking inventory of what i am letting shape and form my thoughts and emotions. what is marinating vs diluting? culture and life can be full of quick-hits, flashing away as quick as they spark up. but what about the thought-provoking, mindset-shifting experiences, connections, content, or conversations? the neural-firing pieces of my attention that have a lower flow rate due to the high viscosity? the maple syrup of thoughts whose stickiness coat all it washes over.

this may seem like a minimalist’s banter or tech-prude’s argument for slowing and disconnecting (read what you want to read haha), but i’d also throw out the thought that our brains are being more battered than fully optimized without some slow-form content. the invitation of slow-form content is not only to slow the neural firing, but also, an invitation into the brainstorming, processing, divergent and convergent thinking intervals, that allow for new creative insights and expansion in wisdom alongside mental stability.

this is the power of silence and solitude, gratitude journaling, creative expression, mindfulness practices, and the like - its the tumbling, digesting, and coalescence of the slow-form intake. because exclusively fast-form content will only leave us dehydrated, dizzy, and disconnected.

i’m just promoting a varied diet of intake for a resilient gut and head, because digesting is when the nutrients come out.