The rise of short content has fundamentally changed consumer behavior and presents both challenges and opportunities for fashion brands that compete for attention in an oversaturated digital landscape. Cristiano Winckler from Somebody Digital shares with FashionUnited how brands can deal with this reality and use scrolling behavior to their advantage.
The endless scroll dilemma
Research from the University of California suggests that the average person spends almost three hours a day scrolling on social media, where one in four adults feel unable to stop, even when they actively try to reduce their screen time. This compulsive involvement is fed by the fading limits between professional and personal digital identities. An increase in Google search assignments to “Personal Branding + Digital Detox” (an increase of 173.09 percent in the past month) underlines the Paradox: Professionals recognize the need for a break, but fear that the disconnection can influence their visibility and growth.
The infinite scroll function, a main component of platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok, worsens the problem. Studies indicate that this design function increases the screen time by 40 percent, because users never get a natural stopping point. In addition, research published in the Journal of Behavioral Neuroscience shows that scrolling activates the same neural paths as addictive substances, which enhances compulsive digital consumption by dopamine-driven reward mechanisms. Every like, response or interaction provides a microdosis of satisfaction, which encourages further involvement.
The science of grabbing attention
With platforms that give priority to content fragments of 15 to 60 seconds, the attention span of modern consumers has fallen drastically. For Gen Z, the window for engaging has shrunk to just 1.2 seconds – a decrease of 40 percent in the last five years. To break through the noise, brands have to use a threefold approach according to Wincler:
Pattern interruption
Disturbing usually scrolling behavior is essential. Unexpected visuals, animations that can trigger and dared color shifts against the scrolling direction what neuroscientists call “expectation violation”, so that users are consciously involved. This phenomenon activates the reticular activating system (race) of the brain, which gives priority to unexpected stimuli, so that the message of a brand can penetrate cognitive filters.
Cognitive convenience
Consumers increasingly use social media as a tool for relaxation. Content that requires minimal mental effort and at the same time transmits a clear message has a greater risk of retention and involvement. Complex storytelling or excessively abstract creative work is overriding the risk of being overlooked in favor of digestible, effortlessly understandable content.
Reward signaling
The human brain has been wired to seek immediate satisfaction. Fashion brands must ensure that their content communicates value from the start-whether it is about inspiring images, exclusive insights or clear calls-to-action that signal a direct benefit for the viewer.
The future of digital involvement in fashion
The struggle for attention is no longer determined by the size of the budget, but by strategic control of digital behavior. Clarity, instead of complexity, emerges as the most important distinctive feature. Emotionally resonant content, instead of purely visual spectacle, appears to be more effective in forging sustainable consumer relationships.
In an era where attention is a finite source, the most successful brands will be those who treat it as such – by prioritizing meaningful interactions over random reach. As the digital landscape evolves, the brands that flourish are those who recognize involvement as a value exchange instead of a one-sided transaction.
