The Jan. 6 hearings are tailor-made for social media – that doesn't mean they're reaching a wide audience

Greg Jacob, who was counsel to former Vice President Mike Pence, and Michael Luttig, a retired federal judge, testified about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Michael Reynolds/Pool Photo via AP

On June 16, 2022, the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol used its two-hour hearing to paint a picture of a relentless campaign by former President Donald Trump and his allies to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence into throwing the election to Trump.

The committee’s palette included video excerpts from witness interviews, live testimony from associates of both Pence and Trump, and clips showing crucial notes or excerpts from emails. The hearings, of which this was the third, run for approximately two-hour chunks of time. That’s a long time in today’s era of quick scrolling, one-minute TikToks and 240-character hot-take tweets.