Multi-screen video shorts juxtaposing unrelated content have been a thing online in recent years. Known as “sludge content,” it seems to be an increasingly popular way for people to watch videos. Apparently, it’s also helpful for people with ADHD, who might have trouble with longer forms of media.

On top of not having ADHD (at least as far as I know), sludge content personally feels a bit bizarre. At the same time, I definitely don’t know enough to speak poorly of it, other than that it is unfamiliar to me. I do have a couple questions, though: one concerning the past and another the future.

First question: Given the format of sludge content and the way it provides different forms of stimulation, could a three-ring circus achieve a similar effect? 

The intent of a three-ring circus is to have multiple acts going on at once, so audience members can pay attention to the part they like most, or even switch focus if something catches their eyes. In times before film existed, let alone video apps, could this form of tripartite entertainment have provided a similar sense of satisfaction to people who had ADHD before it was even known?

Second question: Will we ever see sludge content created in such a way as to explore and push its boundaries as a style or medium?

It’s no secret that most media is made for the neurotypical majority. But what if people with ADHD (or anyone else with an affinity for sludge content) was assumed to be the default audience? What kinds of stories or creative experiences could be told by seeing sludge content not as a weird thing some people are into, but as an opportunity to create works that speak deeply to a particular group? 

I have no answers for either question, but at least I’d like to see attempts at the latter.