Sludge

This sludge content is engineered to grab and keep your attention. Found across social media platforms, sludge videos mix multiple clips on one screen, like a TV show scene, videogame or ASMR video – all playing at once – on an endless loop. Platforms push sludge as it keeps people watching, which boosts views and ad revenue. Some call it harmless digital junk food, while others worry it’s changing how we think, process information and interact with media. It’s tied to a bigger concern about the attention economy, where success is measured by views rather than artistic or informational value, and the power of algorithms to control what we see.