TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and even Facebook (for whoever still uses it) have all integrated short-form video content, also known as “reels,” into their platforms. I’ll admit right away that I use Instagram Reels a bit too much. But hey, in my defense, I deleted TikTok from my phone (though I still have it on my iPad…). Anyway, the point I want to make in this blog is that we are entering a new era of content, at least that is how I see it. I am talking about OpenAI’s newly launched app Sora. Honestly, I am very curious and a bit wary about the developments that will follow, because we are already addicted to our phones. Just imagine what happens when we get a TikTok on steroids.
To briefly explain what Sora is: it is OpenAI’s latest video generation model (second generation), and now introduced as a separate social media app which looks like TikTok. The main difference between Sora and other short-form content platforms is that Sora creates videos directly from text, while the others require you to record or edit the content yourself. At the moment of writing this, Sora is only available in the USA and Canada, and access is invite-only (OpenAI, 2025). Still, within just one week (!), it became the number one app in the Apple App Store (CNBC, 2025), showcasing how popular it is.
Unfortunately, the app is not yet available in Europe, but for the sake of academic purposes, I sacrificed myself by spending time on YouTube to get a sense of Sora’s content (quality). Here’s what I found and also some of my thoughts:
Pros
- Realistic visuals and sounds: The videos look surprisingly realistic, often very close to human-level quality. With every new release, the gap between real and generated content becomes smaller. This makes me wonder how we, as a society, will start looking at content in general. Are we going to question every photo or video we see?
- Fast generation: Videos are created extremely quickly, making the creative process almost effortless. I would hold my breath if I were working for a commercial agency.
- Promising use cases: Sora seems especially useful for creating short advertisements, promotional clips, or creative experiments.
Cons
- Limited length: Videos are currently restricted to around 10 to 15 seconds, depending on your subscription plan.
- Uncanny realism: Overall, the videos look very real, but there are still tiny inconsistencies that not everyone will notice, especially if you lack context or haven’t developed the ability to spot AI-generated visuals.
- Low-effort content: There’s a term for these kinds of low-effort videos: “slop.” It’s often used by YouTubers/ content creators to describe repetitive, low-quality content made purely for quick attention rather than genuine creativity or passion. In this case I wonder if we, consumers, will lower our standards for what we consider good content.
- Deepfake concerns: In Sora, you can create an avatar of yourself called a Cameo. If you grant permission, other users can generate videos or memes featuring your likeness, which can look extremely realistic. I wonder to what extent people will allow others to use their face to create a meme for example. I am sceptical about it. I don’t think people in general want others to make videos of themselves.
This is just the beginning, but what a game changer. If Sora becomes as successful as ChatGPT, and other competitors also jump into the short-form text-to-video content market, I really wonder what industries it will disrupt and how society will adapt to it. The boundaries between real and generated content are already fading, and this development will only accelerate that process. Unfortunately, I can’t answer most of the asked questions during this blog, but one thing is clear: we are entering a new era of media, and it will be fascinating and a little scary to see where it leads.
References:
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/03/openai-sora-apple-app-store.html
I was planning on writing about this once I saw its launch and my reels also got filled with surreal AI generated videos of every kind but I am glad you did it. You gave a good impression of what it feels like and I agree that it is TikTok on the digital version of anabolic and HGH steroids. I have sworn to myself that I ain’t using reels as much as I have in the past but SORA 2 will make it hard. Let’s pray for our decreasing attention spans…
Interesting blog on the development of Sora. I like it that both the pros and cons are discussed, while providing your personal perspective on the development as well. Personally, I am quite sceptical about Sora. Although I see the appeal in the new (and fast) ways people can create and how this will innovate the social media and creator space, I am not sure whether this will turn into a net positive or net negative. As you stated, I definitely think that we don’t need a TikTok on steroids. In addition, I don’t know how I feel about OpenAI moving into this direction. I believe that there are more ‘’useful’’ directions for OpenAI to explore, such as education and research. OpenAI going into this direction of content creation feels like the first step towards enshittification as described by Cory Doctorow (https://open.spotify.com/episode/0lkN9P5RJobo1OLd5Rnwqq?si=2FRsqB39QCipk6oN1araYQ). But who knows, it might not be that bad.
I really relate to what you wrote. I also spend way too much time on Reels and Shorts. But Sora honestly feels like a whole new level. What scares me a bit is how effortless content creation will become—if I can type one sentence and instantly get a video, I know I’ll get sucked in even deeper. I’ve seen some Sora clips on YouTube too and I had the same mixed reaction: impressed but also uneasy. The visuals look so real that I’m starting to question everything I watch online. And the “slop” thing you mentioned is spot on—if it becomes too easy to make content, will people even bother to be original anymore? But at the same time, I’m curious especially about how it might shake up advertising, media, and even creative jobs. I can imagine brands ditching production teams for AI clips. It really does feel like the start of a new era, like you said.
Really interesting and a bit terrifying at the same time. Reels are already decreasing our attention span so much, as we’re getting more used to short-form content, our attention span for longer videos or lectures (or anything else for that matter) is rapidly decreasing. It is cool that it just generates videos straight from text, although I’m not sure how successful it will actually be as a social platform, although productivity wise i could see the advantages. I think people still want real and want to buy from their favorite influencers who have human opinions on products. Maybe it will trend for a bit, but I feel like we are getting closer and closer to the realization that not everything needs to be GenAI-fied to the max. I personally did not know about Sora so thank you for your insights.