We are irreversibly entering the "double-speed society".

After "self - indulgence", the second keyword in the fifth consumption era is "double - speed".

Why do we say so? And what exactly is "double - speed"?

To understand this term, we need to look at three phenomenal consumption events in the first half of this year: Pop Mart breaking into the mainstream, the fierce competition in instant retail, and Xiaomi YU7 changing the rules of the game in the Chinese automotive industry.

Behind these three events lies a profound underlying logic - a "double - speed society" is comprehensively reshaping the form of China's consumer market, and everyone is caught up in it without exception.

01 The "Double - speed" Society

The most intuitive way to understand "double - speed" is that, with the prevalence of short and medium - length videos nowadays, more and more people choose to watch video content at double - speed.

This is just a superficial phenomenon. Tracing back to the origin, the concept of "double - speed" was not proposed in the digital media era.

The earliest form of content double - speed was presented mechanically - gramophones and record players could change the output rate of content through mechanical speed adjustment (rotation speed). In the era of tapes and CDs, the emergence of DSP technology and the algorithm for changing speed without changing pitch laid the technological foundation for the "double - speed" function.

When the technological evolution reached the digital age, the "double - speed" function gradually became more perfect. In the PC era, most third - party players such as Winamp, WMP, RealPlayer, and QuickTime supported the "double - speed" function.

However, the development of the "double - speed" function in online media was relatively slow. It's difficult for us to verify which online content platform was the first to propose the "double - speed playback" function. But it's clear that the earliest application scenario of the double - speed function was not in traditional film and television content. Instead, with the help of browser plugins, users could skip ads at double - speed when bandwidth allowed - for example, early YouTube.

From the example of browser plugins, we can see that the "double - speed" function on online content platforms emerged significantly later than that on third - party players. The core reason is not the lack of user demand, but the bandwidth limitation on the double - speed output of content.

In other words, "double - speed" has always been a real demand shown by some content consumers. It is not a special product of the digital media era, nor is it a product of a specific era in a particular region.

With the iterative development of communication technology, 2015 naturally became the "Year of Double - speed" for online content. The three major domestic platforms, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, successively launched the double - speed function. Since then, long - video platforms have opened the Pandora's box of double - speed. From 1.5x to 4x speed, users have more and more acceleration options.

In 2019, the wave of double - speed on video platforms spread overseas. Netflix became the first overseas long - video platform to launch the double - speed function. Subsequently, various foreign online platforms and even digital on - demand radio stations also launched similar functions.

With the advent of short videos and the global popularity of TikTok, the more concise and short presentation form has further accelerated the rhythm of content expression. Nowadays, even short videos can be played at double - speed or triple - speed.

Even so, double - speed and triple - speed are obviously not the ceiling of content dissemination in the digital age.

The arrival of the AI era is further catalyzing double - speed to reach a new level. If you often watch long - video content, you will notice that since this year, long - video platforms have even launched the function of "AI one - click to watch high - energy content". In actual tests, it can shorten a drama of about 46 minutes to about 24 minutes on average. Coupled with double - speed playback, it further accelerates the double - speed rhythm.

Image: Screenshot of Youku's one - click high - energy plot function, Source: Youku Video APP

The "double - speed" wave on content platforms is quietly reshaping users' "consumption patterns".

02 Consumption is also "Double - speeding"

In the middle of last year, Japan's Kobunsha published a new book by Toyoshi Inada, "The Double - speed Society: Fast Movies, Spoilers, and New Consumer Culture". The whole book uses a narrative method similar to that of Mitsuo Iwasaki's "The Fourth Consumption Era" and "The Lonely Society". Through field investigations, it clarifies the main idea of the book:

The double - speed society is a manifestation of a new consumer culture, and the core of the new consumer culture may be the result of the pursuit of co - feeling supremacy (seeking social consensus) against the backdrop of oversupply.

We believe that Toyoshi Inada's view can be divided into two parts:

Firstly, like self - indulgence, the double - speed society is indeed a manifestation of a new consumer culture.

Secondly, the pursuit of consumption consensus is indeed the core logic for most popular consumer products to break into the mainstream (significantly reducing the intensity and risk coefficient of consumption decisions and shortening the decision - making time for transactions).

Based on the above two points, we can find the common cause of "double - speeding" among currently popular consumer products:

(1) Business Support Evolving around "Double - speed" - A Typical Case of "Instant Retail"

As the consumer format with the widest coverage and the greatest degree of innovation in the past decade, e - commerce has two sets of data that intuitively show the "double - speed" change:

· Since 2005, the Internet penetration rate in China has increased from only 8.5% to nearly 80%. The average download speed has reached nearly 100 megabits, and the mobile Internet infrastructure is very well - developed, providing basic support for double - speed supply.

Image: Internet penetration rate in the past two decades, Source: China Economic Data

· In the past two decades, the total length of national highways has increased from 1.9 million kilometers to 5.5 million kilometers, and the freight volume has doubled. The delivery time of a single piece of express delivery has decreased by nearly 10 hours in the past 8 years. Currently, the average delivery time of express delivery in China is only about 50 hours.

Since this year, with the spill - over of catering delivery capabilities, the business form of instant delivery has once again "double - speeded" the e - commerce infrastructure. On the one hand, leading players hope to find growth opportunities through the catering market. On the other hand, they also hope to improve the infrastructure and logistics system of the instant delivery market through the battle in the food delivery field, making full preparations for the upcoming new retail formats.

Undoubtedly, the currently popular instant delivery system is definitely because the leading players in the market have recognized the logic and potential of consumption double - speeding. In the next stage, the new form of the retail industry will also change the logistics delivery unit of some e - commerce products from "days" to "hours".

(2) Product Supply Reconstructed around "Double - speed" - A Typical Case of "Xiaomi YU7"

Based on the infrastructure support and the instant delivery system built around speed - up and efficiency - improvement, the form of products is also gradually becoming "double - speed". The most core manifestation is the logic of co - feeling supremacy: excellent products are reducing the frictional cost of transactions.

Xiaomi is the most typical beneficiary of "double - speeding". We once analyzed in "Research on the "Xiaomi Methodology" I: How Can Lei Jun Dominate the Three Tracks of Mobile Phones, Home Appliances, and Automobiles?" that Xiaomi's products are designed around a more advanced aesthetic, the greatest common denominator of needs, and a focused strategy.

The most significant benefit of doing so is to reduce the frictional cost of transactions, or rather, the decision - making cost for consumers. With limited choices, well - balanced functions, and the reuse of mature designs, Xiaomi has created a series of popular products from the SU7 and YU7 to power banks and plug - in boards.

Nowadays, the supply side of domestic consumption is learning from Xiaomi, also following the "double - speed" logic.

For example, Fang Hongbo, the chairman of Midea, first said that he had in - depth research on Xiaomi for more than 100,000 words. Then, his first action was to shut down and restructure non - core businesses and fully promote the OBM (own brand) strategy to streamline the product line.

In fact, this logic of reducing transaction decision - making costs and double - speeding supply has long been verified in the retail market. For example, the well - known retailer Costco. People generally think that streamlining SKUs helps it obtain better bargaining power. From another perspective, Costco expanding product categories and streamlining SKUs for each category actually significantly reduces the decision - making cost for customers.

Extending this, the success of Pinduoduo also has a certain factor of relying on simplifying consumption decisions. Users no longer need to laboriously screen stores and brands but can directly browse products, which is essentially a form of double - speed supply.

Even in the content ecosystem mentioned earlier, short dramas are the best example of double - speed changing the form of supply. Even for traditional TV dramas, the average number of episodes of TV dramas announced by the National Radio and Television Administration has decreased from the peak of 45 episodes to 28 episodes in 2024. Users are voting with their feet, and short - form content may be the future.

(3) Sales Models Changed around "Double - speed" - A Typical Case of "Pop Mart"

In addition to infrastructure support and product form, consumer manufacturers are also trying to make "double - speed" changes to their sales models. In the "2024 China Consumer Trends Report" released by Zhimeng Consulting, 73% of the surveyed users said that the ability to enjoy immediately could increase their consumption desire. "Delayed gratification" seems to have become a thing of the past.

Image: Proportion of consumers surveyed who said that "immediate enjoyment" can bring a pleasant mood, Source: Zhimeng Consulting

Following the logic of immediate gratification, leading consumer goods companies are also trying to innovate their sales models. For example, Pop Mart, which has performed well this year, not only has top - notch design, manufacturing, and marketing capabilities for its IP products, but also the "blind - box" sales logic cannot be underestimated.

The blind - box sales model reduces the user's choice cost, and the dopamine rush from opening a blind box immediately is much higher than that from ordinary sales channels. In essence, it is also a form of immediate gratification.

Even the milk tea industry is now competing for immediate gratification. I had the opportunity to visit Changsha, a well - known tea - drinking city, some time ago and consumed several cups of Cha Yan Yue Se, which has become a local specialty. Compared with the taste, what impressed me the most was that even with long queues, Cha Yan Yue Se promised to serve the first cup within 5 minutes of verification. Once consumers have their first cup, the subsequent serving speed of tea does not really affect the consumption experience.

Nowadays, from infrastructure, supply to sales models, "double - speeding" has quietly reshaped the entire consumption pattern. In the future consumer market, only by achieving double - speed iteration and evolution may one achieve excess returns.

03 An Inevitable Narrative of the Era

At this point in the article, we still inevitably need to discuss the most controversial point about "double - speeding": whether accelerationism should be regarded as a scourge.

The term "accelerationism" comes from Roger Zelazny's novel "Lord of Light". The novel describes a group of revolutionaries who change society by changing society's attitude towards technology: that is, the great power contained in emerging technologies should advocate the rapid development of science and technology.

Since the birth of accelerationism, it has been controversial. "Double - speeding", as a concrete manifestation of modern - day accelerationism, has also been widely criticized.

Let's go back to the example of the double - speed trend on content platforms at the beginning of the article. Different from the smooth promotion of the double - speed function in China, Netflix's double - speed function caused quite a stir as soon as it was launched. Some traditional Hollywood producers and content providers questioned whether Netflix, as a content publisher, had the right to change the basic form of content (they believed that double - speed would change the core of the works).

Similarly, when many products are moving towards industrialization and pre - fabrication, there are always opposing voices. Some people think that this standardized and streamlined production method essentially erodes the uniqueness of products and makes it difficult to guarantee product quality, which is a betrayal of the craftsmanship spirit.

Since the birth of AI technology, as a new technology with great potential to change production efficiency, the development of AI technology has reached a peak amidst the disputes over accelerationism. Some people think that we should embrace new technologies and new productive forces regardless of the cost, while others think that we need to slow down the pace of technological progress to ensure that social production relations remain balanced.

Regarding all the opposing voices against accelerationism or double - speeding, Toyoshi Inada, in his new book "The Double - speed Society", collectively refers to these opinion leaders as "educated conservatives".

The motivation for their views may not be wrong. After all, for most consumers, product quality always outweighs production efficiency. But they have missed a basic fact: technological progress and production quality do not necessarily conflict and may even have a positive impact. For example, enterprises with assembly - line production have much better quality control than one or two individual skilled workers.

As Toyoshi Inada said: "Whenever new devices or ideas appear in society, there are always people opposing them. The art of film was once regarded as the low - brow culture in the cultural circle, television was thought to lower people's thinking level, e - books were believed to make readers lose their thinking ability, and the emergence of new technologies was thought to make humans stupid."

But the fact is that the evolution of these technologies and business models has not destroyed the world. On the contrary, it has promoted the more efficient development of the social economy.

The educated conservatives have not realized that the narrative of the era will not be transferred by individual will. Once a trend is formed, it is irreversible.

Regardless of the views of all sectors of society on "double - speed", in essence, it is the human obsession with "more, faster, stronger" that has become an inevitable new social narrative.

We can even firmly say that future business forms will definitely continue to develop following the double - speed logic. Even with the support of AI, both content and products will enter a new dimension of faster and more efficient development.

What business leaders need to think about is not the social problems of "double - speeding", but whether the development of the enterprise and its products can fit into the "double - speed" narrative. Only by accepting the established fact of double - speeding and facing it actively can there be a possibility