Reclaiming Depth: How Communicators Can Move the Needle in an Age of Brevity

Tanya Pikula:

We live in a culture addicted to brevity. Tweets, reels, and TikToks dominate our feeds, shaping how we think and communicate. Algorithms reward what’s fast, emotional, and shareable while nuance, evidence, and reflection struggle to keep up.

For communicators, this shift has made life easier in some ways. We can produce content quickly, measure its reach instantly, and reach audiences across the world for a fraction of what it used to cost. But as attention spans shrink, something vital is being lost: space to think deeply, explore context, and make meaning.

That loss is especially significant for organizations driven by ideas rather than products, such as those tackling climate change, poverty reduction, healthcare reform, or the implications of AI in the workplace. These fields deal in complexity. Their impact depends on helping people understand interconnected systems, trade-offs, and stories that don’t fit into 280 characters. When these issues are flattened for the sake of brevity, substance gives way to slogan.

Climate action, for instance, can’t be reduced to “go green” without oversimplifying systemic challenges. Poverty reduction isn’t just about charity but about equity, education, and policy. In healthcare, a single viral post might highlight a patient story, but it rarely conveys the underlying workforce or funding issues shaping that experience.

When we only communicate in fragments, we train audiences to expect speed over substance. Thoughtful engagement becomes rare and the place where understanding happens shrinks.

Reclaiming Depth

We need to reclaim depth as a communication goal. That doesn’t mean abandoning short-form; it means putting it in its rightful place – as a door, not the destination. The job of short-form is to spark curiosity, while long-form provides the room for reflection and nuance.

That’s where blogs and podcasts come in. These formats make space for exploration, allowing audiences to slow down, think, and connect ideas. They appeal to people who want to understand, not just react.

Blogs remain one of the simplest and most effective ways to bring nuance back into your communications strategy. They don’t require huge budgets, and they provide a home for in-depth thinking. Even publishing one strong article a month can establish your organization as a source of ideas and insight. Use your newsletter and social media to drive audiences there, or in other words, let short-form content point toward long-form substance.

Podcasts, meanwhile, are perhaps the most promising tool for idea-driven communication today. In a world of visual overload, audio feels almost restorative. People listen while commuting, cooking, or exercising, in moments where they’re receptive, curious, and unhurried.

Podcasts allow for the kind of layered storytelling and conversation that complexity demands. They can humanize data, unpack policy, and create emotional connection. For organizations working in fields like environmental sustainability, healthcare, or social innovation, podcasts offer a way to give literally give voice to the people and ideas behind the mission.

If you have the resources and time, launch your own podcast. Treat it as a long-term investment: high input, yes – but also high output. The content can be repurposed into articles, clips, quotes, and insights across channels. The return is credibility, reach, and depth.

If launching isn’t feasible, collaborate. Partner with organizations in your field to co-produce a limited series, or join forces on existing shows that align with your mission. Even guest appearances can carry significant value: they position your organization as part of larger, idea-driven conversations.

The Communicator’s Role: Resisting the Urge to Oversimplify

In an age of brevity, communicators have a critical role to play. We can’t control the algorithm, but we can control our intent. We can decide whether our work feeds the cycle of superficiality—or pushes against it.

That means being strategic:

• Use short-form content to open doors: to attract and engage.
• Use long-form content to build understanding: to educate, persuade, and inspire.
• Make sure every piece of communication, no matter the format, connects back to ideas that matter.

The temptation to chase clicks and views will always be there but reach without resonance is an empty metric. Simply put, we need to remind ourselves that the real goal isn’t just to be heard but understood.

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Tanya Pikula, PhD is a strategic leader with a PhD in interdisciplinary research and over a decade of experience guiding communications and change across government and nonprofit sectors.

Written by: Editor