For some years now, the successful content that appeared on television was the one that began to show us what would later become a trend. The fame, the profit, the positive result, were not the fruit of the constant work that implies years of study or work. Success was based on getting what you want without involving the “traditional” effort with which many generations have been trained.
The “Reality Shows” made us see on the screen that anyone (yes, anyone) could achieve fame, success, money and a secure “job” while that scandalous character continues his momentary Hype. Big Brother and his presence on TV internationally demonstrated it.
But this trend did not remain exclusively in this open television discovery (giving its last kicks of life as a popular and mega-mass medium), but the phenomenon was increasing with great force, especially thanks to the development of technology and its “hyperactive children”. that is, social networks.
And it took various forms to be consumed and used in an ideal breeding ground that was being formed within the current modernity and that is now part of normality. The Culture of Immediacy.
What do those who live within this cultural phenomenon want? The speed and instant satisfaction. Users with social behaviors such as technological hyperconnectivity and the constant desire for momentary gratification. Yeah, quick. For right now I want the result.
And it’s not that I’m at odds with technology and the positive advances that result from achieving these instant wins. Good for faster computers and processors! (Who remembers that years ago when using the Internet we had to wait for that eternal screeching of the modem and “ages” to open a web page in which the complete image was formed?). Good also for the medicines that cure us faster or with the medical advances with which they identify diseases in a more timely manner. And very well also because we have faster information and at hand. All of this seems perfect to me. However, we are also dealing with consumers/users, of all ages, who see the desire for instant gratification as paramount. They want to experience pleasure and satisfaction without delay, generating greater social impatience and if the desire is not achieved immediately, frustration and anxiety come.
That is where overconsumption and non-responsible consumption can appear, with disastrous results that we have already discussed above.
We are facing consumers who are increasingly impatient and want to get everything immediately. And this is something that marketers cannot lose sight of, since what before could be a competitive advantage for our brands, such as immediate delivery compared to an online purchase, is now an obligatory issue and not a differentiator, which if it is not satisfied as the consumer wants it, they can turn around and look for the brand that does satisfy them more quickly.
A loyal customer is until that “hair” appears in the soup. Forget the romantic image of the consumer who stayed with our brand until death, just because we were part of his custom or tradition. If he doesn’t get your immediate gratification, don’t even expect him to say goodbye.
The consumer/user is living everything faster and this is also reflected in the consumption of the media, especially those that are more married to digital technology. And advertising must go hand in hand. How to succeed in a YouTube ad if in a few seconds you do not attract attention in addition to giving the full advertising message?
All social networks are communicating in the same way, both for their users and for their resources as a means of sales and advertising.
And this is reflected in a phenomenon known as “Sped Up”.
We find the success of accelerated versions of new and classic hits that are on Spotify, TikTok and YouTube and that consists of increasing the speed of a song to 150%, becoming fashionable especially on TikTok thanks to the interventions of anonymous users. that “fix” the song by giving this new speed to the song and leaving it free for other users to use and upload their own choreographed and ready-to-share videos.
This trend is said to come from two Norwegian high school students in 2002 based on an EP they released called Nightcore. This trend has slowly caught on over the years, largely thanks to many people having a generally shorter attention span and a habit of watching speeded-up videos (which is, for example, when you’re given the option in YouTube to watch a video at 1.5 of its normal speed).
The Sped Up phenomenon not only generates new successes thanks to the interventions of digital users, but also recovers and revives past successes, giving them a commercial resuscitation, placing them in the first places of popularity. The original artists, not stupid and seizing the opportunity, also publish their official versions.
The result?
TikTok content (#spedup) already has 10 billion views
Spotify has its official playlist (Sped Up Songs), which exceeds a million “likes” where it includes songs, among other famous artists, by Madonna and Rihanna.
There are remixers-influencers of this style, like Jovynn, recognized for an accelerated version of Coldplay’s A Sky Full Of Stars, and who has 10 million followers.
Other famous “creators” already identified by the labels are Spxedupsongs (5 million followers), Speedysongs and Bestspedup (2 million each).
The singer or artist is no longer only the creator, but also his followers and they obtain benefits from the same adapted work.
With eI Sped Up We have a first great sample of how the industry (in this case the music industry and everything that goes with it, including promotional and advertising efforts) is transformed by the same user/consumer/prosumer, eager to have power, generator of their own content and constant seeker of quick and instant satisfaction in exchange for “likes” in their social network and that satisfy their immediate pleasure reflected in little hands and hearts that feed their ego with a duration as fast as a post.
