Sometime in the last year, the big reveal has moved. It used to come at the end, suspense gradually building before the big crescendo. But now it’s thrown at you within the first three seconds of watching, whether you like it or not.
Scroll TikTok for a few minutes and you’ll see creators give away the drama, podcasters reveal the spiciest moment of the episode, and even random strangers show you where the bodies are buried before you’ve even settled into the story.
In fact, 84.3% of viral TikToks in 2025 landed a hook within the first three seconds, and 71% of viewers decide whether to keep watching in that same window.
The explanation for this writes itself. We’re goldfish. Creators and brands are just performing increasingly elaborate tricks to keep us circling the bowl for one more lap.
But is that the full picture?
For her latest column in Little Black Book, our Brand Futures Director, Nat Moores, considers everything from The Odyssey to Russell T Davies to find out.