Characteristic of sludge content is unrelated, attention-grabbing side content, meant to increase viewer retention.[2] Common attention-grabbing videos include repetitive mobile gameplay (notably of the endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers), ASMR or oddly satisfying clips, and cooking videos.[3] Sludge videos typically feature one panel of main content with audio, often copyrighted material. Common copyrighted material include television episodes (notably of the adult animated television series Family Guy),[4]Reddit posts read by an artificial voice,[2] and videos made by other social media users.[3]
Sludge content has been labelled as overstimulating and addictive.[1][3][5] Sludge content may lead to normative dissociation, which can be soothing.[1] The genre has been described as reflecting and contributing to declining attention spans,[5][3] though the scholarly evidence supporting such claims is not conclusive.[3]
The concept of sludge content originates with methods used to subvert copyright detection tools, particularly on Family Guy "funniest moments" compilations on YouTube.[3] Editing techniques such as frequent jump cuts, overlaid unrelated clips, and cropping have increased the longevity of copyright-violating videos on YouTube.
The proliferation of sludge content has been attributed to its ease of creation and its profitability.[6][3] Tools like Opus Pro, SludgeAI, and CrayoAI automate the production of sludge content, enabling its mass distribution online.[7][8][9][independent source needed]
TikTok's "duet" feature, in which a creator can post a video side-by-side with a video from another creator,[10] has been cited as priming viewers for this form of multitasking.[3] Users have noted the proclivity of TikTok's recommendation algorithm to increasingly show such videos to users; the process of steadily consuming more sludge content has been popularly described as a "pipeline" (often called the "Family Guy pipeline" due to the series's ubiquity in such content).[4] Sludge content has also been described as a form of escapism.[5]
Psychologist Natalie Coyle analyzed the videos and determined that the external media increases receptiveness through the concept of "visual tactility".[2]Digital media researcher Bjørn Nansen opined that the phenomenon should not be unexpected given the prevalence of media multitasking outside of TikTok.[3]
Impact
SYBO Games, the developers of Subway Surfers, referenced sludge content on the TikTok account for the game and attributed Subway Surfers' resurgence to sludge content.[2]
A 2020 study found that engaging with various digital media on multiple devices simultaneously may worsen attention and recall in young adults.[1] Concern has been raised over the popularity of such split-screen content with young children in Generation Alpha.[13]
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