TikTok’s “sludge” content is the result of Gen Z’s wavering attention spans. 

TikTok’s “sludge” content is the result of Gen Z’s wavering attention spans. We know young people tend to seek out comforting content online, but recently “sludge” style videos have been taking over their feeds as a way to keep their attention by playing multiple videos at once via a split screen. These intentionally overstimulating (or maybe, perfectly stimulating enough) videos “are typically compiled from two or more unrelated sources: a popular game component such as Subway Surfers, an automated voice reading a confessional Reddit story time, an ASMR clip such as a bar of soap being cut or a scene from a cartoon or a television show.” Users love the content so much that they comment things like “my mind feels whole” and what makes it so appealing to viewers is that it’s ultimately a form of escapism. But of course, there are critics of the genre, with those claiming “sludge” content is a result of TikTok-induced “brain rot.” (NBC)