The Algorithmic Gaze: Short-Form Video Platforms, Attention Economies, and the Reconfiguration of Visual Culture

By Mohammed BABA YAHAYA

Abstract
Purpose: This paper dives into the idea of the “algorithmic gaze,” looking at how apps like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are changing visual culture.
The central mechanism concerns how these platforms pull us in through algorithms that shape what we see and what grabs our attention. The paper explores how machine learning flips the way we create, watch, and interpret video content. Methodology: The paper mixes theories from visual culture, platform studies, and political economy. There is substantial conceptual analysis regarding the underlying architecture and mechanisms of these platforms, how algorithms pick and show videos, and how creators work within these systems. The analysis pulls in real studies on user behavior, platform features, and the economy around creators. Findings: Here’s what comes out of it: Short-form video platforms create their own unique “algorithmic gaze,” and it runs on three things—machine perception, algorithmic curation, and structured visibility. Because of this, the ecosystem is driven by micro-moments of attention, creativity gets boxed by templates, and meaning often ties back to how something performs in metrics instead of its deeper message. Value: The value here is introducing the “algorithmic gaze” as a new way to think about platform power and visual culture. It sheds light on how predictive tech reshapes what it means to see, to work, and to profit in the world of short-form video.

Keywords: Visual culture, attention economy, short-form video, platformisation, algorithmic gaze, digital aesthetics