purpose of youtube essay

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Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom

Topics: Tech & Learning News & Media Literacy Digital Citizenship Relationships & Communication

Use this unique art form to build your students' media-literacy skills.

Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom

Like many of you, I've done a lot of thinking about how we can better prepare students to be thoughtful, responsible, and critical consumers and creators. While I don't have all the answers, I've come to one conclusion: Media-literacy education must deal with YouTube. According to a 2019 Common Sense study , 88% of teens use YouTube. And despite the fact that YouTube says it is only for those age 13 or older, 76% of 8- to 12-year-olds say they use the site as well.

I've come to one conclusion: Media-literacy education must deal with YouTube.

What's more, YouTube is a unique beast and can't just be tacked on. It has its own celebrities, culture, norms, and memes and has even given rise to the dreaded " YouTube voice ." But what I find particularly fascinating is that YouTube has its own genres and types of videos. One of these -- the video essay -- is something I think can be a great tool for media-literacy education. Here's why.

What Are YouTube Video Essays?

YouTube video essays are long-form (relative to many other internet videos) critical videos that make arguments about media and culture. They're usually meticulously narrated and edited, juxtaposing video footage, images, audio, and text to make an argument much like a writer would do in a traditional essay. As former YouTube talent scout Jeremy Kaye puts it , video essays "take a structured, in-depth, analytical, and sometimes persuasive approach, as opposed to the quick 'explainer' video style."

Pressing play on the YouTube video below will set third-party cookies controlled by Google if you are logged in to Chrome. See Google's cookie information for details.

Why Are They Great for Learning?

It's easy to dismiss a lot of what circulates on YouTube as frivolous, silly, or even obnoxious, but video essays are the opposite. They demand students' attention but not through cartoonish gesturing, ultra-fast editing, and shock value (which even some of the more popular educational YouTubers fall prey to) -- there's room to breathe in these essays. To capture attention, video essays use a time-tested trick: being flat-out interesting. They present compelling questions or topics and then dig into them using media as evidence and explication. This makes them a great match for lessons on persuasive and argumentative writing.

Video essays model for students how YouTube can be a platform for critical communication.

But what I really love most about video essays is that they have something at stake; they ground their arguments in important cultural or political topics, exposing the ways media represents gender or race, for instance, or how media evolves over time and interacts with the world at large. Most importantly, video essays model for students how YouTube can be a platform for critical communication.

How Can They Be Used in Classrooms?

First, a caveat: Most of the channels below offer content that'll work best in an upper-middle or high school classroom. Some videos can also be explicit, so you'll want to do some browsing.

1. Conversation starter or lesson hook : Many of these videos serve as great two- to 10-minute introductions to topics relevant to classrooms across the curriculum.

2. Active viewing opportunity : Since video essays present often complex arguments, invite students to watch and rewatch videos and outline their theses, key points, and conclusions.

3. Research project : Have students find more examples that support, or argue against, a video's argument. Students could also write a response to a video essay.

4. Copyright lesson : Video essays are a great example of fair use. Show students that by adding their own commentary, they can use copyrighted material responsibly.

5. Assessment : Have students create their own video essays to demonstrate learning or media-creation skills like editing.

Channels and Videos to Check Out

Image nerdwriter.

This is an eclectic channel that's hard to pin down. Basically, the video topics focus on whatever intrigues the channel's creator, Evan Puschak. There's everything from an analysis of painting to MLK's " I Have a Dream " speech to film to the history of the fidget spinner .

Vox runs the gamut of issues in politics, culture, and pop culture. Their explainer-style videos can serve as conversation starters, and since they publish multiple videos a week, there's no shortage of choices. Also, make sure to check out their playlists offering essays on everything from music to climate change .

Image Noisy Images

This channel does a masterful job of uncovering the layered meaning -- social, political, and cultural -- in hip-hop and other music. While most of these videos are mature and only suitable in very particular high school contexts, there's brilliant work on everything from the poetic rhythms of the hip-hop group Migos to music video minimalism . Any one of the videos on Noisy Images could inspire a great lesson or unit.

Image Lindsay Ellis

Video essays are just one thing Lindsay does on her channel, and she's really good at them. Her videos often deal with heady topics like " the other ," but she boils them down in accessible ways. She also isn't afraid to throw in a few jokes to keep things interesting.

Image Genius

There's tons here focused on music, with a specific emphasis on hip-hop lyrics. One of my favorite series is called Deconstructed . While Deconstructed videos aren't typical video essays, they present color-coded breakdowns of the rhyme schemes in hip-hop tracks. Students could apply this technique to their favorite songs or poems.

Image Every Frame A Painting

This now-defunct channel has 30 videos with some of the best film analysis on YouTube. If you're looking to help students analyze the language of film, this is the channel to check out. One of my personal favorites focuses on the work of a film editor .

Image Kaptain Kristian

Kristian focuses a lot on cartoons and comics, which is a nice entry point for younger kids. Each of his videos touches on big ideas in storytelling. For instance, his examination of Pixar movies delves into their rich themes that break the often rote themes of other animated movies. This video would pair well with creative writing lessons or literary analysis.

Image CGP Grey

One of the more long-running essayists on YouTube, CGP Grey has a fast-talking style with a lot of animation but does a good job of answering head-scratching questions like, " What if the electoral college is tied? " or explaining complex issues like copyright in a digestible way .

Image Lessons from the Screenplay

While this channel focuses on how screenwriting underpins film, the lessons offered in each of this channel's video essays are broadly applicable to the craft of writing in general.

Image Kogonada

I saved this one for last because it's the least traditional. Kogonada is a former academic turned filmmaker who gained popularity through his Vimeo video essays that, for the most part, elegantly edit together film clips without any narration. These videos are great if you're teaching a video- and film-editing class or film appreciation/criticism. Creating a narration-less video would be an excellent final project for students.

Image courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action .

Tanner was Editorial Director, Learning Content at Common Sense Education where he led the editorial team responsible for edtech reviews and resources. Previously, he taught writing and media literacy for six years, and has a PhD from the University of California, Riverside. His research on video games and culture has been published in journals, books, and online, presented at conferences nationwide, and continues to be cited and taught in classes around the world. Prior to joining Common Sense Education, Tanner worked as a curriculum developer and researcher at GameDesk, helping to design and launch Educade.org and the PlayMaker School. While at GameDesk, he co-designed the United Colonies alternate reality game (ARG) with Mike Minadeo. This ARG is to date one of the most sophisticated to be implemented in a K-12 environment. Outside of education, Tanner has been a Technical Writer-Editor for the Department of Defense, a web designer, and co-editor and co-creator of a print literary journal.

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Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom

February 09, 2018, common sense media, by educator innovator.

In a world of nearly ubiquitous YouTube viewership, watching and making video essays in the classroom is not only a great platform for close reading and digital composition, but a media literacy imperative, argues Tanner Higgin from Common Sense Education .

Like many of you, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how we can better prepare students to be thoughtful, responsible, and critical consumers and creators. While I don’t have all the answers, I’ve come to one conclusion: Media-literacy education must deal with YouTube. Ninety-one percent of teens use YouTube . That’s 30 percent more than use Snapchat (61 percent), the next closest social media competitor, and even more than use tech we think of as ubiquitous, like Gmail (79 percent).

What’s more, YouTube is a unique beast and can’t just be tacked on. It has its own celebrities, culture, norms, and memes and has even given rise to the dreaded “ YouTube voice .” But what I find particularly fascinating is that YouTube has its own genres and types of videos. One of these—the video essay—is something I think can be a great tool for media-literacy education. Here’s why…

What Are YouTube Video Essays?

YouTube video essays are long-form (relative to many other internet videos) critical videos that make arguments about media and culture. They’re usually meticulously narrated and edited, juxtaposing video footage, images, audio, and text to make an argument much like a writer would do in a traditional essay. As former YouTube talent scout Jeremy Kaye puts it , video essays “take a structured, in-depth, analytical, and sometimes persuasive approach, as opposed to the quick ‘explainer’ video style.”

Why Are They Great for Learning?

It’s easy to dismiss a lot of what circulates on YouTube as frivolous, silly, or even obnoxious, but video essays are the opposite. They demand students’ attention but not through cartoonish gesturing, ultra-fast editing, and shock value (which even some of the more popular educational YouTubers fall prey to)—there’s room to breathe in these essays. To capture attention, video essays use a time-tested trick: being flat-out interesting. They present compelling questions or topics and then dig into them using media as evidence and explication. This makes them a great match for lessons on persuasive and argumentative writing.

How Can They Be Used in Classrooms?

First, a caveat: Most of the channels below offer content that’ll work best in an upper-middle or high school classroom. Some videos can also be explicit, so you’ll want to do some browsing.

Conversation starter or lesson hook : Many of these videos serve as great two- to 10-minute introductions to topics relevant to classrooms across the curriculum.
Active viewing opportunity : Since video essays present often complex arguments, invite students to watch and rewatch videos and outline their theses, key points, and conclusions.
Research project : Have students find more examples that support, or argue against, a video’s argument. Students could also write a response to a video essay.
Copyright lesson : Video essays are a great example of fair use. Show students that by adding their own commentary, they can use copyrighted material responsibly.

Channels and Videos to Check Out

Nerdwriter — This is an eclectic channel that’s hard to pin down. Basically, the video topics focus on whatever intrigues the channel’s creator, Evan Puschak. There’s everything from an analysis of painting to MLK’s “ I Have a Dream ” speech to film to the history of the fidget spinner .
Vox — Vox runs the gamut of issues in politics, culture, and pop culture. Their explainer-style videos can serve as conversation starters, and since they publish multiple videos a week, there’s no shortage of choices. Also, make sure to check out their playlists offering essays on everything from music to climate change .
Noisy Images — This channel does a masterful job of uncovering the layered meaning—social, political, and cultural—in hip-hop and other music. While most of these videos are mature and only suitable in very particular high school contexts, there’s brilliant work on everything from the poetic rhythms of the hip-hop group Migos to Kanye West’s stagecraft to music video minimalism . Any one of these videos could inspire a great lesson or unit.
Lindsay Ellis — Video essays are just one thing Lindsay does on her channel, and she’s really good at them. Her videos often deal with heady topics like “ the other ,” but she boils them down in accessible ways. She also isn’t afraid to throw in a few jokes to keep things interesting.
Genius — There’s tons here focused on music, with a specific emphasis on hip-hop lyrics. One of my favorite series is called Deconstructed . While Deconstructed videos aren’t typical video essays, they present color-coded breakdowns of the rhyme schemes in hip-hop tracks. Students could apply this technique to their favorite songs or poems.
Every Frame A Painting — This now-defunct channel has 30 videos with some of the best film analysis on YouTube. If you’re looking to help students analyze the language of film, this is the channel to check out. One of my personal favorites focuses on the work of a film editor .
Kaptain Kristian — Kristian focuses a lot on cartoons and comics, which is a nice entry point for younger kids. Each of his videos touches on big ideas in storytelling. For instance, his examination of Pixar movies delves into their rich themes that break the often rote themes of other animated movies. This video would pair well with creative writing lessons or literary analysis.
CGP Grey — One of the more long-running essayists on YouTube, CGP Grey has a fast-talking style with a lot of animation but does a good job of answering head-scratching questions like, “ What if the electoral college is tied? ” or explaining complex issues like copyright in a digestible way .
Lessons from the Screenplay — While this channel focuses on how screenwriting underpins film, the lessons offered in each of this channel’s video essays are broadly applicable to the craft of writing in general.
Kogonada — I saved this one for last because it’s the least traditional. Kogonada is a former academic turned filmmaker who gained popularity through his Vimeo video essays that, for the most part, elegantly edit together film clips without any narration. These videos are great if you’re teaching a video- and film-editing class or film appreciation/criticism. Creating a narration-less video would be an excellent final project for students.

By Tanner Higgin Originally Posted at Common Sense Education

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How to Write a Video Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide and Tips

by Joseph Kenas
January 5, 2024
Writing Tips

The video essay has become an increasingly popular way of presenting ideas and concepts in the age of the internet and YouTube. In this guide, we present a step-by-step guide on how to write a video essay and tips on how to make it.

While it is easy to write a normal essay, the structure of the video essay is a bit of a mystery, owing to the newness of the term.

However, in this article, we are going to define what is a video essay, how to write a video essay, and also How to present a video essay well in class.

What is a Video Essay?

A video essay is a video that delves into a certain subject, concept, person, or thesis. Video essays are difficult to characterize because they are a relatively new form, yet they are recognized regardless. Simply, video essays are visual compilations that try to persuade, educate, or criticize.

These days, there are many creatives making video essays on topics like politics, music, movies, and pop culture.

With these, essays have become increasingly popular in the era of video media such as Youtube, Vimeo, and others.

Video essays, like photo and traditional essays, tell a story or make a point.

The distinction is that video essays provide information through visuals.

When creating a video essay, you can incorporate video, images, text, music, and/or narration to make it dynamic and successful.

When you consider it, many music videos are actually video essays.

Since making videos for YouTube and other video sites has grown so popular, many professors are now assigning video essays instead of regular essays to their students. So the question is, how do you write a video essay script?

Steps on How to Write a Video Essay Script

Unscripted videos cost time, effort, and are unpleasant to watch. The first thing you should do before making a video writes a script, even if it’s only a few lines long. Don’t be intimidated by the prospect of writing a script. All you need is a starting point.

A video script is important for anyone who wants to film a video with more confidence and clarity. They all contain comparable forms of information, such as who is speaking, what is said, where, and other important details.

While there are no precise criteria that a video essay must follow, it appears that most renowned video essayists are adhering to some steps as the form gets more popular and acknowledged online.

1. Write a Thesis

Because a video essayist can handle a wide range of themes, video analysis essays lack defined bounds. The majority of essays, on the other hand, begin with a thesis.

A thesis is a statement, claim, theme, or concept that the rest of the essay is built around. A thesis might be broad, including a variety of art forms. Other theses can be quite detailed.

A good essay will almost always have a point to express. Every video analysis essay should have a central idea, or thesis, that ties the film together.

2. Write a Summary

Starting with a brief allows you and your team to document the answers to the most pressing project concerns. It ensures that everyone participating in the video production is on the same page.

This will avoid problems of mixing ideas or getting stuck when you are almost completing the project.

3. Choose a Proper Environment and Appropriate Tools

When it comes to writing your script, use any tool you’re familiar with, such as pen and paper. Also, find a writing atmosphere that is relaxing for you, where you can concentrate and be creative.

Consider what you don’t have to express out loud when you’re writing. Visual elements will be used to communicate a large portion of your content.

4. Use a Template

When you don’t have to reinvent the process every time you sit down, you get speed and consistency.

It’s using your cumulative knowledge of what works and doing it over and over again. Don’t start with a blank page when I sit down to create a script- try to use an already made template.

5. Be Conversational

You want scripts that use language that is specific and targeted. Always avoid buzzwords, cliches, and generalizations. You want your audience to comprehend you clearly without rolling their eyes.

6. Be Narrative

Make careful to use a strong story structure when you’re trying to explain anything clearly. Ensure your script has a beginning, middle, and end, no matter how short it is. This will provide a familiar path for the viewers of your video script.

7. Edit Your Script

Make each word work for a certain position on the page when you choose your words.

They must serve a purpose.

After you’ve completed your first draft, go over your script and review it.

Then begin editing, reordering, and trimming. Remove as much as possible.

Consider cutting it if it isn’t helping you achieve your goal.

8. Read Your Script Loudly

Before recording or going on in your process, it’s recommended to read your script aloud at least once. Even if you won’t be the one reading it, this is a good method to ensure that your message is clear. It’s a good idea to be away from people so you may practice in peace.

Words that flow well on paper don’t always flow well when spoken aloud. You might need to make some adjustments based on how tough certain phrases are to pronounce- it’s a lot easier to change it now than when recording.

9. Get Feedback

Sometimes it is very difficult to point out your mistakes in any piece of writing. Therefore, if you want a perfect video essay script, it is advisable to seek feedback from people who are not involved in the project.

Keep in mind that many will try to tear your work apart and make you feel incompetent. However, it can also be an opportunity to make your video better.

The best way to gather feedback is to assemble a group of people and read your script to them. Watch their facial reaction and jot own comments as you read. Make sure not to defend your decisions. Only listen to comments and ask questions to clarify.

After gathering feedback, decide on what points to include in your video essay. Also, you can ask someone else to read it to you so that you can listen to its follow.

A video essay can be a good mode to present all types of essays, especially compare and contrast essays as you can visually contrast the two subjects of your content.

How to make a Good Video from your Essay Script

You can make a good video from your script if you ask yourself the following questions;

What is the video’s purpose? What is the purpose of the video in the first place?
Who is this video’s intended audience?
What is the subject of our video? (The more precise you can be, the better.)
What are the most important points to remember from the video?- What should viewers take away from it?

If the context had multiple characters, present their dialogues well in the essay to bring originality. If there is a need to involve another person, feel free to incorporate them.

How to Present a Video Essay Well in Class

Write down keywords or main ideas in a notecard; do not write details- writing main ideas will help you remember your points when presenting. This helps you scan through your notecard for information.
Practice- in presentations it is easy to tell who has practiced and who hasn’t. For your video essay to grab your class and professor’s attention, practice is the key. Practice in front of your friends and family asking for feedback and try to improve.
Smile at your audience- this is one of the most important points when presenting anything in front of an audience. A smiley face draws the attention of the audience making them smile in return thus giving you confidence.
Walk to your seat with a smile- try not to be disappointed even if you are not applauded. Be confident that you have aced your video presentation.

10 of the Most Niche YouTube Video Essays You Absolutely Need to Watch

YouTube’s algorithm is designed to keep your eyeballs glued to video after video (after video, after video...). The dangers of this rabbit hole are well-documented . However, for every ideological radicalization enabled by YouTube, I like to think there’s at least one innocent, newfound pop culture obsession discovered at 3 a.m. via the greatest medium of our time: the Video Essay.

The genre of YouTube video essays is more interesting than it sounds. Sure, any piece of video content that advances a central thesis could be considered a “video essay.” But there are key components of video essays that elevate the genre into so much more than simply a YouTube version of a written article. Over the past few years, the term “YouTube video essay” has grown to evoke connotations of niche fascination and discovery. For creators, the field is highly competitive with strong personalities trying to get eyes on extremely in-depth analysis of a wide range of topics. The “niche” factor is especially important here. Ultimately, the hallmark of a good video essay is its ability to captivate you into watching hours of content about a subject matter you would have never expected to care about in the first place. Scary? Maybe. Fun? Definitely.

Whether you’re skeptical about the power of video essays, or you’re an existing fan looking for your next niche obsession, I’ve rounded up some of my personal favorite YouTube video essays for you to lean in and watch. This is not a comprehensive list by any means, and it largely reflects what the algorithm thinks (knows) I personally want to watch.

Other factors that influenced my selection process: The video essays needed to have a strong, surprising thesis—something other than a creator saying “ this thing good ” or “ this thing bad. ” These videos also stood out to me due to their sheer amount of thorough, hard-hitting evidence, as well as the dedication on the behalf of the YouTubers who chose to share with us hours upon hours of research into these topics.

And yes, I have watched all the hours of content featured here. I’m a professional.

Disney’s FastPass: A Complicated History

Let’s start strong with a documentary so premium, I can’t believe it’s free. Multiple articles and reviews have been dedicated to Defunctland’s video series about, well, waiting in line. I know what you’re thinking—the only thing that sounds more boring than waiting in line is watching a video about waiting in line. But Defunctland’s investigation into the history of Disneyland’s FastPass system has so much more to offer.

Class warfare. Human behavior. The perils of capitalism. One commenter under the video captures it well by writing “oddly informative and vaguely terrifying.” Since its launch in 2017, Kevin Perjurer’s entire Defunctland YouTube channel has become a leading voice in extremely thorough video essays. The FastPass analysis is one of the most rewarding of all of Defunctland’s in-depth amusement park coverage.

I won’t spoil it here, but the best part of the video is hands-down when Perjurer reveals an animated simulation of the theme park experience to test out how various line-reservation systems work. Again, no spoilers, but get ready for a wildly satisfying “gotcha” moment.

Personally, I’ve never had any interest one way or another about Disney-affiliated theme parks. I’ve never been, and I never planned on going. That’s the main reason I’m selling you on this video essay right off the bat. Defunctland is a perfect example of how the genre of video essays has such a high bar for investigative reporting, shocking analysis, and an ability to suck you in to a topic you never thought you’d care about.

Watch time : 1:42:59 (like a proper feature documentary)

THE Vampire Diaries Video

No list of video essays can get very far without including Jenny Nicholson , a true titan of the genre. Or, as one commenter puts it, “The power of Jenny Nicholson: getting me to watch an almost three hour long video about something I don’t care about.” I struggled to pick which of her videos to feature here, but at over seven million views, “THE Vampire Diaries Video” might just be Nicholson’s magnum opus. Once you break out the red string on a cork board, it’s safe to say that you’re in magnum opus territory.

I haven’t ever seen an episode of CW’s The Vampire Diaries , but since this video essay captivated me, I can safely say that I’m an expert on the show. Nicholson’s reputation as a knowledgeable, passionate, funny YouTuber is well-earned. She’s a proper geek, and watching her cultural analyses feel like I’m nerding out with one of my smartest friends. If you really don’t think The Vampire Diaries investigation is for you (and I argue that it’s for everyone), I recommend “ A needlessly thorough roast of Dear Evan Hansen ” instead.

Watch time : 2:33:19

In Search Of A Flat Earth

Did you think you could get through a YouTube video round-up without single mention of Flat Earthers? Wishful thinking.

“In Search of Flat Earth” is a beautiful, thoughtful video essay slash feature-length documentary. Don’t go into this video if you’re looking to bash and ridicule flat earth conspiracy theorists. Instead, Olson’s core argument takes a somewhat sympathetic gaze to the fact that Flat Earthers cannot be “reasoned” out of their beliefs with “science” or “evidence.” Plus, this video has a satisfying second-act plot twist. As Olson points out, “In Search of Flat Earth” could have an alternative clickbait title of “The Twist at 37 Minutes Will Make You Believe We Live In Hell.” Over the years, Dan Olson of Folding Ideas has helped to popularize the entire video essay genre, and this one just might be his masterpiece.

Watch time : 1:16:16

The Rise and Fall of Teen Dystopias

Sarah Z is your go-to Gen Z cultural critic and explainer. The YouTuber brings her knack for loving-yet-shrewd analysis to dig into fandom culture, the YA book industry, and why the teen dystopia got beaten into the ground.

I’ve found that one of the most reliable video essay formulas is some version of “what went wrong with [incredibly popular cultural moment].” In the case of teen dystopias, it’s a fascinating take on how a generation of teen girls were drawn to bad ass, anti-establishment heroines, only to watch those types of characters get mass produced and diluted into mockery. But maybe I’m biased here; as the exact demographic targeted by the peak of The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent, this cultural debrief speaks to my soul.

Watch time : 1:22:41

A Buffet of Black Food History

Food is an effective way to combine economic, cultural, and social histories–and Black American food history is an especially rich one. Food resonates with people, allowing us to connect with the past in a much more real way than if we were memorizing dates and locations from a textbook. Historian Elexius Jionde of Intelexual Media is a pro at taking what could be a standard history lesson and turning it into an interesting journey full of crazy characters and tidbits.

Most of the comments beneath the video are complaints that the video deserves to be so much longer. It’s jam-packed with surprising facts, fun asides, and, of course, tantalizing descriptions of the food at hand. Jionde even warns you right at the top: “Turn this video off right now if you’re hungry.”

Watch time : 22:39

The reign of the Slim-Thick Influencer

At this point, I’m assuming you know what a BBL is. Even if you aren’t familiar with the term (Brazilian butt lifts, FYI), then you’ve still probably observed the trend. Before big butts, it was thigh gaps. The pendulum swing of trending body types is nothing new. Curves are in, curves are out, thick thighs save lives, “skinny fat” is bad, and now, “slim thick” looms large. How do different body types fall in and out of fashion, and what effect does this have on the people living in those bodies?

Creator Khadija Mbowe identifies and analyzes a lot of the issues with how women’s bodies (especially Black women’s) are commodified, without ever blaming the bodies that are under fire. Mbowe handles the topic with grace and humor, even when discussing how deeply personal it is to them. If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a photo of an Instagram influencer, please do yourself a favor and watch this video essay.

Watch time : 54:18

Flight of the Navigator

Once again: I have been sucked into a video about a film that I have never seen and probably never will. Captain Disillusion, whose real name is Alan Melikdjanian, is another giant of the video essay genre, posting videos to a not-too-shabby audience of 2.29 million subscribers. Most of Captain Dissilision’s videos that I’d seen before this were of the creator debunking viral videos, exposing how certain visual effects were “obviously” faked. In this video, he turns his eye for debunking special effects not to viral videos, but to the 1986 Disney sci-fi adventure Flight of the Navigator.

This behind-the-scenes analysis of the Disney film is incredibly informative, tackling every instance when someone might ask, “ Hey, how did they manage to film that? ” It also touches upon the history of the special effects industry, something that deserves a little extra appreciation as CGI takes over every corner of movie-making.

Watch time : 41:28

The Failure of Victorious

YouTuber Quinton Reviews is dedicated to his craft, and I thank him for it. As you’ve certainly caught on to by now, you truly do not need to know anything about the show Victorious to enjoy an hours-long video essay that digs into it. What makes this video stand out is the sheer amount of content that this YouTuber both consumed and then created for us. Part of the video length—a whopping five hours—is due to the fact that every single episode of the Nickelodeon show is dissected. Another reason for the length is all the care that Quinton Reviews puts into providing context. And the context is what made me stick around: the failures of TV networks, the psychological dangers of working as child stars, and the questionable adult jokes that were broadcast to young audiences…if you’re at all interested in tainting your memory of hit Nickelodeon shows, this video is for you.

Watch time : 5:34:58 ( And that’s just part one. Strap in! )

Why Anime is for Black People

In this video Travis goes through the history of the “hip hop x anime” phenomenon, in which East Asian media permeates Black culture (and vice versa, as he hints at near the end). Although I am (1) not Black and (2) not an avid anime fan, I first clicked on this video because I’m a fan of comedian and writer Yedoye Travis. And yet—big shocker—I was immediately engrossed with the subject matter, despite having no context heading into it. Once you finish watching this video, be sure to check out Megan Thee Stallion’s interview about her connection to anime .

I haven’t run this part by my editor yet, but now would be a prime time to plug Lifehacker Editor-in-Chief Jordan Calhoun’s book, Piccolo Is Black: A Memoir of Race, Religion, and Pop Culture . Just saying.

Watch time : 18:34 (basically nothing in the world of video essays, especially compared to the five hours of Victorious content I binged earlier)

Efficiency in Comedy: The Office vs. Friends

I’m rounding out this list on a note of personal sentimentality. This is one of the first video essays that got me hooked on the format, mostly because I had followed creator Drew Gooden to YouTube after his stardom on Vine (RIP). This video is one of his most popular, combining comedy and math to pit two of the most popular sitcoms of all time in a joke-for-joke battle.

Gooden in particular stands out as someone who excels as both an earnest comic and a thoughtful critic of comedy. I appreciate his perspective as someone who knows what it’s like to work for a laugh and wants to get to the bottom of why something is or isn’t funny. This isn’t even one of Gooden’s best videos (I actually think his take on the parallels between Community and Arrested Development has a much stronger argument), but it’s a great example of the sort of perspective best situated to make video essays in the first place. Because what makes all these video essays so compelling is often the personality behind the argument. These aren’t investigative journalists or professional critics. They’re YouTubers. Really smart YouTubers, but still: These videos are born out of everyday people who simply have something to say.

I believe the modern YouTube video essay is uniquely situated to put cultural critique back into the hands of the average consumer—but only if that consumer is willing to put in the work to become a creator themselves.

Watch time : 17:36

What is a Video Essay - Best Video Essays Film of 2020 - Top Movie Video Essay

Scriptwriting

What is a Video Essay? The Art of the Video Analysis Essay

I n the era of the internet and Youtube, the video essay has become an increasingly popular means of expressing ideas and concepts. However, there is a bit of an enigma behind the construction of the video essay largely due to the vagueness of the term.

What defines a video analysis essay? What is a video essay supposed to be about? In this article, we’ll take a look at the foundation of these videos and the various ways writers and editors use them creatively. Let’s dive in.

Watch: Our Best Film Video Essays of the Year

Subscribe for more filmmaking videos like this.

What is a video essay?

First, let’s define video essay.

There is narrative film, documentary film, short films, and then there is the video essay. What is its role within the realm of visual media? Let’s begin with the video essay definition.

VIDEO ESSAY DEFINITION

A video essay is a video that analyzes a specific topic, theme, person or thesis. Because video essays are a rather new form, they can be difficult to define, but recognizable nonetheless. To put it simply, they are essays in video form that aim to persuade, educate, or critique.

These essays have become increasingly popular within the era of Youtube and with many creatives writing video essays on topics such as politics, music, film, and pop culture.

What is a video essay used for?

To persuade an audience of a thesis
To educate on a specific subject
To analyze and/or critique

What is a video essay based on?

Establish a thesis.

Video analysis essays lack distinguished boundaries since there are countless topics a video essayist can tackle. Most essays, however, begin with a thesis.

How Christopher Nolan Elevates the Movie Montage • Video Analysis Essays

Good essays often have a point to make. This point, or thesis, should be at the heart of every video analysis essay and is what binds the video together.

Stanley Kubrick Directing Style Explained →
A Filmmaker’s Guide to Nolan’s Directing Style →
How to Write a Voice Over Montage in a Script →

interviews in video essay

Utilize interviews.

A key determinant for the structure of an essay is the source of the ideas. A common source for this are interviews from experts in the field. These interviews can be cut and rearranged to support a thesis.

Roger Deakins on "Learning to Light" • Video Analysis Essays

Utilizing first hand interviews is a great way to utilize ethos into the rhetoric of a video. However, it can be limiting since you are given a limited amount to work with. Voice over scripts, however, can give you the room to say anything.

How to create the best video essays on Youtube

Write voice over scripts.

Voice over (VO) scripts allow video essayists to write out exactly what they want to say. This is one of the most common ways to structure a video analysis essay since it gives more freedom to the writer. It is also a great technique to use when taking on large topics.

In this video, it would have been difficult to explain every type of camera lens by cutting sound bites from interviews of filmmakers. A voice over script, on the other hand, allowed us to communicate information directly when and where we wanted to.

Ultimate Guide to Camera Lenses • Video essay examples

Some of the most famous video essayists like Every Frame a Painting and Nerdwriter1 utilize voice over to capitalize on their strength in writing video analysis essays. However, if you’re more of an editor than a writer, the next type of essay will be more up your alley.

Video analysis essay without a script

Edit a supercut.

Rather than leaning on interview sound bites or voice over, the supercut video depends more on editing. You might be thinking “What is a video essay without writing?” The beauty of the video essay is that the writing can be done throughout the editing. Supercuts create arguments or themes visually through specific sequences.

Another one of the great video essay channels, Screen Junkies, put together a supercut of the last decade in cinema. The video could be called a portrait of the last decade in cinema.

2010 - 2019: A Decade In Film • Best videos on Youtube

This video is rather general as it visually establishes the theme of art during a general time period. Other essays can be much more specific.

Critical essays

Video essays are a uniquely effective means of creating an argument. This is especially true in critical essays. This type of video critiques the facets of a specific topic.

In this video, by one of the best video essay channels, Every Frame a Painting, the topic of the film score is analyzed and critiqued — specifically temp film score.

Every Frame a Painting Marvel Symphonic Universe • Essay examples

Of course, not all essays critique the work of artists. Persuasion of an opinion is only one way to use the video form. Another popular use is to educate.

The Different Types of Camera Lenses →
Write and Create Professionally Formatted Screenplays →
How to Create Unforgettable Film Moments with Music →

Video analysis essay

Visual analysis.

One of the biggest advantages that video analysis essays have over traditional, written essays is the use of visuals. The use of visuals has allowed video essayists to display the subject or work that they are analyzing. It has also allowed them to be more specific with what they are analyzing. Writing video essays entails structuring both words and visuals.

Take this video on There Will Be Blood for example. In a traditional, written essay, the writer would have had to first explain what occurs in the film then make their analysis and repeat.

This can be extremely inefficient and redundant. By analyzing the scene through a video, the points and lessons are much more clear and efficient.

There Will Be Blood • Subscribe on YouTube

Through these video analysis essays, the scene of a film becomes support for a claim rather than the topic of the essay.

Dissect an artist

Essays that focus on analysis do not always focus on a work of art. Oftentimes, they focus on the artist themself. In this type of essay, a thesis is typically made about an artist’s style or approach. The work of that artist is then used to support this thesis.

Nerdwriter1, one of the best video essays on Youtube, creates this type to analyze filmmakers, actors, photographers or in this case, iconic painters.

Caravaggio: Master Of Light • Best video essays on YouTube

In the world of film, the artist video analysis essay tends to cover auteur filmmakers. Auteur filmmakers tend to have distinct styles and repetitive techniques that many filmmakers learn from and use in their own work.

Stanley Kubrick is perhaps the most notable example. In this video, we analyze Kubrick’s best films and the techniques he uses that make so many of us drawn to his films.

Why We're Obsessed with Stanley Kubrick Movies • Video essay examples

Critical essays and analytical essays choose to focus on a piece of work or an artist. Essays that aim to educate, however, draw on various sources to teach technique and the purpose behind those techniques.

What is a video essay written about?

Historical analysis.

Another popular type of essay is historical analysis. Video analysis essays are a great medium to analyze the history of a specific topic. They are an opportunity for essayists to share their research as well as their opinion on history.

Our video on aspect ratio , for example, analyzes how aspect ratios began in cinema and how they continue to evolve. We also make and support the claim that the 2:1 aspect ratio is becoming increasingly popular among filmmakers.

Why More Directors are Switching to 18:9 • Video analysis essay

Analyzing the work of great artists inherently yields a lesson to be learned. Some essays teach more directly.

Types of Camera Movements in Film Explained →
What is Aspect Ratio? A Formula for Framing Success →
Visualize your scenes with intuitive online shotlist software →

Writing video essays about technique

Teach technique.

Educational essays designed to teach are typically more direct. They tend to be more valuable for those looking to create art rather than solely analyze it.

In this video, we explain every type of camera movement and the storytelling value of each. Educational essays must be based on research, evidence, and facts rather than opinion.

Ultimate Guide to Camera Movement • Best video essays on YouTube

As you can see, there are many reasons why the video essay has become an increasingly popular means of communicating information. Its ability to use both sound and picture makes it efficient and effective. It also draws on the language of filmmaking to express ideas through editing. But it also gives writers the creative freedom they love.

Writing video essays is a new art form that many channels have set high standards for. What is a video essay supposed to be about? That’s up to you.

Organize Post Production Workflow

The quality of an essay largely depends on the quality of the edit. If editing is not your strong suit, check out our next article. We dive into tips and techniques that will help you organize your Post-Production workflow to edit like a pro.

Up Next: Post Production →

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How to do a Video Essay: The Video Essay Process

Plan, Prepare & Create

Storyboarding

Finding, Filming & Editing
References & Credits
The Video Essay Process

This section will give an introductory overview of the stages required to create a video essay. Video essayers advice is to start simple and work through each stage of the video production process. Visit the Resources page of this guide for more.

Identify what is your argument? What is it that you want to communicate to the viewer? Write this down in a few sentences, refer and modify it as required.

Watch Video Essays

Watch a selection of video essays, read blogs and web pages from video essayers and decide what type of video essay you would like to create. Start simple.

A storyboard is a detailed outline (similar to an outline in a written essay) that helps you to organise and visualise the video essay as to what is on the screen, text, media, message and transitions between shots.

Storyboards assist in determining the length, message and meaning of the video essay and help save time with editing and post production processes.

Free Storyboard Templates

Collect & Edit

Collect video material as downloads, ripping DVDs, screen grabs, mobile phone footage and create voice-overs. Use research skills to find information and statements to support your argument. Maintain a standard of quality and manage your videos by naming conventions and storage.

Use editing software and experiment with available functionality to enhance and support your argument. Add a voice-over, sound effects, music and other aspects of multimodality. Be sure to include references and credits to all sources used in creating the video essay.

Revisit elements of your video essay and modify as required.

Visit the Resources page of this guide for more.

Where to find video and how to capture it
Video Editing Basics - iMovie
Software Guides

References & Credits

References to cite sources used in the Video Essay. Referencing is a formal, systematic way of acknowledging sources that you have used in your video essay. It is imperative that you reference all sources used (including videos, stills, music, sfx) and apply the correct formatting so that references cited can be easily traced. The referencing style used at ECU is the APA style, 6th ed. 2010. Refer to the ECU Referencing Library Guide for accurate citation in APA style.

Production credits Individuals: acknowledgement of individuals and their role in the production. Purpose: A statement for internal use, e.g. “This video was produced for [course name] at [institution’s name] in [semester, year]”

Referencing Library Guide
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Home Resources Free Guides Video Essays Guide Introduction to Video Essays

VIDEO ESSAYS GUIDE

Introductory guide to video essays, introduction to video essays, studying and researching film through film, “if it can be written, or thought, it can be filmed” – stanley kubrick, "...why can filmmaking, film curation, and film criticism not co-exist” – lindiwe dovey.

Drawing on the inspiring work of pioneering educators and researchers engaging with this creative method, this guide aims to offer a research-led introduction for students, teachers and researchers approaching the video essay for the first time.

From 2014, with the foundation of [in]Transition, the first online, open access, peer-reviewed journal of videographic film and moving image studies, an increasing number of academic journals have been welcoming video essays. However, the written word remains the dominant language to disseminate scholarly work, with shared conventions in terms of register, structure and length. In contrast, a glimpse at the range of published video essays evidences the diversity of approaches. While this may be a great opportunity for innovation and creativity, it also presents challenges. How to make video essays? What are their pedagogical benefits, as compared to written papers? What are the technological expectations? How to design assessment briefs to ensure they are equivalent to written papers? Is such equivalence relevant? If the approaches are so varied, what are the criteria of evaluation? What are the copyright issues, if any, when reusing creative work for the purpose of making an argument, audiovisually? And, more importantly, where to start?

Video essays are scholarly videos that invite researchers and class members to explore the audiovisual and multimedia language to make an academic argument. When applied to film research and pedagogy, the video essay is thus a recursive text. That is, the object of study, film, is mediated, or rather, performed, through the film medium. This is a kind of academic piece that encourages creativity, but more importantly, action. As such, video essays have a transformative dimension. When used in the classroom, for instance, as creative assessment methods, they foster a collaborative environment where teachers and students - that is, class members - are co-producers of knowledge, informed by different positionalities. Video essays can thus contribute to a kind of education that Paulo Friere (2018[1978]: 80-81) referred to as the “problem-posing education”, as “the practice of freedom”. This contrasts with the “banking” or “digestive” education as the practice of domination, where students are mere passive recipients of the knowledge transferred from tutors. As universities seek to decolonise the curriculum, video essays seem as pertinent as ever to foster active, creative and critical modes of learning, based on thinking through making. However, the experimental potential in video essays also leads to a certain degree of uncertainty to all class members and eager researchers who would like to venture into this creative arena of knowledge production. Creative educators and researchers are collectively seeking an academic space for video essays, legitimising their production, and suggesting ways of engaging with this kind of recursive language.

As Christian Keathley notes, “the essential question faced in the production of scholarly video is not technical, but conceptual” (2012). That is, video essays, like any other scholarly work, are concerned with the contribution to knowledge. But, how to achieve this? In this guide, we first look at the existing guidelines for the production and evaluation across the different journals, finding some coherence across them. We then suggest some ways of making them, dividing the process in three phases: preproduction, production and postproduction, in alignment with the filmmaking process. These guidelines do not aim to be prescriptive by any means. Rather, they seek to assist the video-making process . Due to our emphasis on the academic value of video essays, we further offer an overview to copyright considerations to take into account for its lawful, ethical and rigorous publication . We also include several journals and dissemination spaces. Finally, we share a case study of the application of the video essay as a creative assessment method at SOAS, University of London.

How to make video essays. Dr Shane O’Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in Filmmaking at Kingston University and Curator of Archives for Education .

Finding Coherence Across Journals

How to make video essay guides, copyright considerations, dissemination.

Jul 31, 2022

The Rise of Video Essays

The daunting five-paragraph essays assigned in secondary school have created a sense of dread amongst most students, as they engage with the challenge of organizing their ideas and effectively guiding a reader through their arguments. In fact, many face the dilemma of articulating and knowing what they want to say. Yet, what has become the burden of both secondary and higher education students has softened in its perception by reason of the rise in video essays, primarily published and distributed on YouTube. Video essays present several advantages compared to traditional essays. There is undeniable potential for video essays to circulate important information and allow for ways to express critical thought. Though the two types of essays resemble one another in structure and narrative, the multimodal characteristics of a video essay establish it as a new way of composing and presenting the contents as opposed to a traditional essay.

Fundamentally, every essay contains three fundamental parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. The body has a sequence of ideas with transitions and then unites and restates the main message (or thesis) at the end. An argument cannot be told effectively without an established definition and explanation for the reason an argument is made. After all, readers, viewers, or listeners first need to be interested in the main idea before spending their attention capital. Doug Specht (2019), a Director of Teaching and Learning, School of Media and Communications at the University of Westminster, also emphasizes the need for essays, both written and visual, to remain similar in structure and in how they are outlined: “You will still need to define the thesis, the main point of the argument. You will still need to plan the shape of your argument, and the essay shapes can be adapted to audio or visual essays too” (p. 87) Afterall, if a film, YouTube video, essay, novel, and the like do not have a solid purpose for existing, it does not help nor impact the audience.

Additionally, these essential messaging components exist in any medium with a narrative or story, but it must be pointed out that the terms narrative and story have slightly different definitions. According to Merriam Webster, a story is “An account of incidents or events” (2022b), and a narrative is “A way of presenting or understanding a situation or series of events that reflects and promotes a particular point of view or set of values” (2022a). Clearly, a story, whether true or fictional, gives a general description of what is happening. Conversely, a narrative is a way in which that description is told. Therefore, written or visual essays do not merely recall connected events, but rather develop a solid thesis supported by relevant research. An effective narrative runs like a thread throughout the essay to keep the readers linear with the argument and its supporting points. Traditional essays achieve narrative through rhetorical strategies and an author's written persona and tone. Video essays use essay content and adapt it to several cinematic techniques similar to documentaries, but on a much smaller scale, especially for novices with low budgets.

Before any writing, filming, or recording of any kind can take place, an outline should be established to materialize the jumbled flow of ideas and map them into a cohesive narrative. One should have a performative approach to outlining video essays because, unlike written essays, the work must be spoken aloud accompanied by other visual effects. Süleyman Kıvanç Türkgeldi (2021), an Assistant Professor specializing in Communication and Performance and Visual Arts at Cukurova University, calls video essays themselves performative research:

These forms of expression belong to a plane that cannot be expressed with numerical data but transmitted through symbolic data (moving / still image, sound, and music forms, etc.) outside the boundaries of language (p. 821).

Thus, a divergence in how to approach a traditional and video essay becomes clearer, and the advantages of video essays are shifting how people entertainingly receive information.

One major advantage of video essays is that their multimodality draws in larger audiences. There is more opportunity for creative expression in the way the author presents research. Samantha Hines, a head librarian at Missoula College at the University of Montana, wrote an article on multimodal literacy and accepted the following definition offered by Sean Cordes: “Multimodal literacy can be said to have a cultural literacy component that goes beyond the established information literacy standards” (as cited in Hines, 2014, p. 14). The prefix “multi” already predisposes the multitude of ways or “modes” of information and distribution and how it contributes to the literacy skills of the audience. Those who struggle to conceptualize and comprehend traditional text greatly benefit from other modalities such as pictures, audio, and video effects.

In addition to the medium, one cannot discount the power of the creator in video essays and the relationship with the viewer. Hines (2014) highlights social media’s role in instantly distributing video essays at a faster rate than traditional ones: “Users need to focus on more than who created content, but also who passed it along and how they interacted with or perhaps even altered it” (p. 14). An audience of a video essay may come across a video essay it through YouTube recommendations or online communities that share that video. The influence of their video essays is perpetuated by a coalesced community surrounding a video essayist because of a seemingly closer relationship that the viewers have with the author. There is a direct dialogue with an audience via comment sections and forums that traditional essays do not have. J. Degenhard, an analyst covering key market indicators for Statista, reported that in 2021 approximately 2,240.03 million users spent time on YouTube (2021). While not every video will hit an algorithm that spreads it to millions of these users, the accessibility and ease of sharing make content much more promising.

Equally important, the added visual aids and moving motions of the video essay have long appealed to the human need for expression through pictures. The earliest depictions of written language were through pictographs. Additionally, Ruth M. Van Dyk (2006), a professor of anthropology at Binghamton University, recalls another example of visual media in archeology:

In archeology, as in any discipline, visual representations are integral to the production of knowledge and scholarly authority. The map, for example, is perhaps the most singularly useful item in any site report (p. 370).

It could be said that essays are a kind of map that directs the reader through the author, director, or presenter’s inner thoughts and arguments. In congruence with communities surrounding a particular creator of video essays, one can make quite a significant impact on the audience's own perception or education of an issue or topic through video essays. Jacquelyn S. Kibbey (2011), a professor at UNY Oswego Graduate Studies, argued visual literacy continues to be a desirable way to educate people in our increasingly multimedia world:

Visual literacy teaches us how to see, communicate, and understand through visual means. Advertisers and marketers understand how to reach their audience far better than educators. Why shouldn’t teachers enlist those same methods? (p. 51).

Online essayists on social media can have quite an influence. Thus, educators and those who are knowledgeable in certain areas should not underestimate the sway of video essays.

Furthermore, the ways of expression consistently change within new technologies. Writers learning other ways to adapt their craft to suit other performance mediums has existed as long as humans performed plays and gave public speeches. Therefore, writers learning how to hone their craft and adapt it to other media is not new. In Sarah Levine and Johanna (Jones) Franzel’s (2015) discussions on teaching how to write scripts for radio is explored. In fact, they state that:

When radio audiences tune in to listen to a story, they have no pictures to look at and no written text to track. So when students write for radio, they must create specific, concrete images to paint a picture, strong verbs to communicate action … because they are speaking their ideas aloud, they must attend more carefully to whether their words actually make sense (p. 21).

Video essays have the advantage of video and pictures, whereas radio does not. However, a solid narration is still essential for most video essays, whether it’s a voice-over or the creators film themselves physically. Nevertheless, writers must compose a script that will sound intelligent but is not afraid to deviate from an academic tone and use humor and colloquialisms instead. Users on social media desire information and education, but many users also appreciate some personal examples from the essayist or offhanded remarks on the content before returning to the main point.

Moreover, video essays produced on YouTube not only bring a unique method of expressing ideas, but the topics can cover a variety of relevant, pop-culture topics that one may not see in traditional academia. While some video essays may provide analysis of highly academic subjects, most video essays can also cover recent national or international news and trending discourse in niche communities on social platforms. These examples are then analyzed or commented on through critical lenses related to economics, history, race, sociology, gender, and more. Patricia G. Lange (2019), an anthropologist and associate professor of critical studies at the California College of the Arts, describes the participative atmosphere of YouTube: “Revisions to the scholarly record show that people engaging with mass media did not simply absorb media messages without active interpretations” (p. 37). And this engagement is a good thing because even participation in seemingly silly topics can motivate everyone to critically analyze the information they receive. YouTube’s accessibility allows anyone to produce a video essay, including those without any higher education background. Even professionals in various fields now utilize the platform to produce intriguing content.

In the end, video essays are another method of performance, and can offer quite insightful perspectives in an entertaining method. Ric Allsopp (1999), a current guest Professor in the MA SODA program at the Inter-University Centre for Dance, identified digital media’s influence on performance art:

Whatever the ambivalent indications of digital media, writing will certainly continue to develop as a technological medium, and as such, as performance-performance (in whatever form) will continue to be an increasingly complex interaction of signifying systems (p.76).

In other words, writing shapes the performance, and technology grants diverse manners in which to perform. The video essay, as stated previously by Süleyman Kıvanç Türkgeldi, is the performance of research, brought to life not only through visual effects but even through the persona put forth by the digital essayist.

Bibliographical References

Allsopp, R. (1999). Performance Writing. PAJ: A Journal of Performance and Art , 21 (1), 76–80. https://doi.org/10.2307/3245984

Degenhard, J. (2021). Youtube users in the World 2017–2025 . Statista. https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1144088/youtube-users-in-the-world

Hines, S. (2014). Multimodal literacy and why it matters: a brief overview. Against the Grain , 26 (4), 14–16. https://doi.org/10.7771/2380-176x.6902

Kibbey, J. S. (2011). Chapter four: media literacy and social justice in a visual world. Counterpoints , 403 , 50–61. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42981595

Lange, P. G. (2019). Youtube initiation: participating through a camera. in thanks for watching: an anthropological study of video sharing on youtube (pp. 32–68). University Press of Colorado. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2g5915d.5

Levine, S., & Franzel, J. (Jones). (2015). Teaching Writing with Radio. The English Journal, 104(5), 21–29. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24484576

Specht, D. (2019). Writing: getting started. In The Media and Communications Study Skills Student Guide (pp. 69–88). University of Westminster Press. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv11cvxcf.9

Türkgeldi̇, S. (2021). Thinking of video essays as a performative research with a new concept: transimage. SineFilozofi , 812–825. https://doi.org/10.31122/sinefilozofi.823234

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2022). narrative . https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/narrative#:%7E:text=Definition%20of%20narrative%20 (Entry%202,style%20the%20novel’s%20narrative%20structure

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2022b). story . https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/story

Van Dyke, R. M. (2006). Seeing the past: visual media in archaeology. American Anthropologist , 108 (2), 370–375. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3804798

Visual References

Figure 1: Silveira, E. (2019). UOL TAB [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/82467245/UOL-TAB?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cyoutube

Figure 2: Vogel, J. (2020). Media Temple 2 [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/100244905/Media-Temple-2/modules/578308925

Figure 3: Silveira, E. (2019). UOL TAB [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/82467245/UOL-TAB?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cyoutube

Figure 4: Hamazaki, K. (2018). Wifi Society [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/70844581/Wifi-Society?tracking_source=search_projects%7Ccomputer

Figure 5: Franchi, M. (2020). Microsoft x Surface [Illustration]. Behance. https://www.behance.net/gallery/87835469/Microsoft-x-Surface/modules/508045167

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The Effect of Youtube on Our Society

Categories: Social Media Society Youtube

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Words: 654 |

Published: Sep 19, 2019

Words: 654 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Anything can be seen on the site
YouTube has a wide variety of content
Expressing your creativity through YouTube is a major benefit
People get to meet on YouTube
Learning through YouTube
A lot of people will see what you post
YouTube, so anyone can see the videos you post
Anyone for the most part can post a video
There is violence on the site
There could be issues of privacy invasion

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A brief timeline of YouTube’s history and its impact on the internet

Youtube is the de facto video-sharing platform on the internet, but who founded it, why did they create it, and how did it grow to be such a behemoth today.

Christopher McFadden

ozgurdonmaz/iStock

YouTube is one of the largest and most popular online video distribution platforms. It has more than 4 billion hours of video viewers monthly, and an estimated 500 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube every minute.
Since its origins in 2005, YouTube has transformed itself from a showcase for amateur videos to one that distributes original content.
But where did it all begin?

YouTube is one of the most popular video streaming platforms on the internet. Content on it is watched by millions of people all around the world. Its influence has enabled the creation of an entirely new profession — YouTube content creator, which can be a very profitable career for some YouTubers worldwide.

What was the original purpose of YouTube?

YouTube was initially created as a platform for anyone to post any video content they desired. It was hoped that users could use the site to upload, share, and view content without restriction.

It has since grown to become one of the leading video distribution sites in the world. Today, many content creators make a decent living by selling ad space before or on videos they create and upload onto the site.

Thanks to YouTube’s Partner Program and Google’s AdSense , a few people can create successful careers as YouTubers . If you want to become one, you might want to consider reading a few guides like this one . You’ll also need some gear, like a microphone for YouTube .

YouTube was founded on Valentine’s Day in 2005. It was the brainchild of Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim, who were all former employees of Paypal.

Like many others in Silicon Valley, the platform began as an angel-funded enterprise with makeshift offices in a garage.

jawed/YouTube

According to its founders, the idea was born at a dinner party in San Fransisco, about a year earlier, in 2004. The trio was frustrated by how hard it was, at the time, to find and share video clips online.

“Video, we felt, really wasn’t being addressed on the Internet,” said Chad Hurley in an early interview. “People were collecting video clips on their cell phones … but there was no easy way to share [them].”

Rego Korosi/Flickr

In May of 2005, the beta version of YouTube was up on the net, and within a month, the very first video was posted. It was titled “Me at the Zoo” and was a 19-second long clip posted by Karim himself. The video featured footage of Karim at the San Diego Zoo, talking about elephants and their trunks.

By September 2005, YouTube had managed to get its first video with one million views. This was a Nike ad that went and gone viral.

This first YouTube viral video was a clip of Brazilian soccer player Ronaldinho receiving a pair of Golden Boots . Nike was among the first major companies to embrace YouTube’s promotional potential.

Joshua P Mathias/YouTube

The following month, in November of 2005, the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital invested an impressive $3.5 million in the business. Roelof Botha (who also formerly worked for Paypal) joined YouTube’s board of directors.

Sequoia and Artis Capital Management invested an additional $8 million in 2006, as the website saw significant growth in its first few months.

Who founded YouTube?

As previously mentioned, YouTube was founded by:

Chad Hurley
Jawed Karim

All three worked for Paypal at the time of YouTube’s founding in 2005. Chad Hurley studied design at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania before their interface’s user experience (UX) joining Ebay’s PayPal division after graduating in 1999. He primarily focused on their interface’s user experience (UX) at Paypal.

Steven Shih Chen was born in 1978 in Taipei, Taiwan. His family emigrated to the U.S. when he was eight years old. Steve left the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy before graduating. He later attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated in 2002 with a degree in computer science. He would later join Paypal.

Ianmacm/Wikimedia Commons

Jawed Karim was born in 1979 in Merseburg, East Germany. His father was Bangladeshi, and his mother was German. After experiencing xenophobia in Germany, his father moved the family to Saint Paul, Minnesota, in 1992. Jawed would later study computer science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign but left before graduating.

After dropping out, Jawed became an early employee of the fledgling Paypal. While at Paypal, he continued his coursework, eventually graduated with a computer science degree, and earned a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University.

How was YouTube created?

Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim met at Paypal. According to Jawed Karim, the concept of YouTube was inspired by videos of Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction at the Super Bowl and the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean .

AusAID/Wikimedia Commons

“As a capital-funded startup, the idea for YouTube received an $11.5 million investment from Sequoia Capital in 2005. In February, the domain name was registered in the headquarters above a pizzeria in California. In April, the first-ever video was uploaded by Karim named “Me at the Zoo.” After a Beta testing period, the site launched in December 2005, and a Nike commercial became the first video to receive one million views,” according to Engadget.

By February introduce2005, YouTube’s now-famous logo ( since changed as of 2017 ) was registered as a trademark, and the website domain name was also purchased. The original idea for YouTube was for users to be able to upload videos, introduce themselves, and say what they were interested in. This didn’t take off, and the co-founders soon pivoted to a more general video-sharing site.

Since then, YouTube has grown exponentially. Here are some of the major milestones in the company’s history (courtesy, in part, of inverse.com ):

February 2005: Chad Hurley registers the “ YouTube ” trademark, logo, and domain on Valentine’s Day.
April 2005: “Me at the Zoo” becomes the first video to go up on the site. It is pretty self-explanatory.
May 2005: YouTube’s Beta site is launched.
July 2005: Video HTML embedding was added to the site for the very first time.
August 2005: 5-star rating system was added to YouTube .
September 2005: A Nike ad becomes the first video to hit 1 million views.
October 2005: YouTube’s playlist function is added to YouTube for the first time. This would become an integral part of the platform for content creators and users. Fullscreen video is also added to the site. YouTube also adds its subscription function.
December 2005: YouTube officially launches out of its Beta status. This is thanks, in part, to a multi-million investment from Sequoia Capital, enabling them to improve their servers with increased bandwidth.
January 2006: YouTube adds its “Groups” feature to the platform.
February 2006: For the first time, user profile personalization is added.

Saph Photography/Pexels

March 2006: YouTube adds a ten-minute limit to all uploaded video content.
April 2006: YouTube adds its “Directors” function to the site.
May 2006: Responses to videos are allowed for the first time. Cellphone video uploading functions are also included on the platform.
June 2006: Personalizing profile features is further refined, and user viewing history is added to the site. This month, YouTube also deals with NBC to remove some of its footage under copyright infringement laws. YouTube also sets up its Content Verification Program to help prevent a similar issue. NBC later decide to let YouTube promote its material on its site.
October 2006: Google acquires YouTube for $1.65 billion. At the time, Google calls YouTube “the next step in the evolution of the Internet.” Amazingly, YouTube only had roughly 65 employees at the time.
May 2007: YouTube launches its Partner’s Program to enable content creators to profit from the videos they create and upload. Many content creators can finally turn their hobbies into profitable income streams. This month, a baby named Charlie took the internet by storm in a 56-second viral video. In the video, Charlie bites his brother’s finger and smiles. The family who uploaded the video to YouTube reportedly made $100,000.
June 2007: YouTube allows other languages to be used on its site for the first time.
July 2007: YouTube partners with CNN to host its first presidential debate.

August 2007: This month, Google decided to start making money from their new acquisition by enabling ads on the platform for the first time. Semi-transparent banners at the bottom of videos were overlaid on the content for between 10 and 15 seconds.
March 2008: YouTube allows support of 480p videos on the platform. Video analytics are also added to the site.
December 2008: Audioswap is added to YouTube . This function allows content creators to add music from a licensed song library to their videos.
January 2009: Google Videos uploading service is halted. The U.S. Congress also launched its official YouTube channel this month. For the first time, U.S. citizens can gain access to the goings-on in Congress like never before possible. The Vatican also launches its own official YouTube channel.
April 2009: YouTube wins a Peabody Award for its outstanding achievements in electronic media. Along with Vivendi, YouTube launches the music video service VEVO. Usher also introduces Justin Bieber to an unsuspecting world this month. Depending on your point of view, this was either the darkest day in YouTube history or one of its greatest.
November 2009: 1080p videos are finally allowed on the platform.
December 2009: YouTube’s automatic speech recognition service launches this month.
January 2010: YouTube’s feature film rental service launches this month. This was a bold move in a gamble to challenge the hegemony of Netflix and Apple directly.
March 2010: The ubiquitous “Thumbs” rating system is added to YouTube .

July 2010: YouTube enables 4K videos to be uploaded to its platform for the first time.
December 2010: YouTube plays a pivotal role in the coverage of the so-called “Arab Spring.” Activists from around the Muslim world used the platform to spread messages of hope and defiance to accelerate the movement.
April 2011: YouTube Live is launched for the first time. This function enables content creators and corporate/public organizations to stream live content. Concerts, sports events, and even weddings begin to appear on the site.
October 2011: After Next New Networks (an original video programming company) was acquired in March 2011, YouTube launched its first original channels. From this point forward, Google would offer original content creators serious money to make videos exclusively for the platform.
November 2011: YouTube launches its “ Youtube Analytics” tool. This function enables content creators to track their channel’s performance intelligently. They can find out who is watching their videos, for how long, and which are the most popular to target monetization strategies.

June 2012: YouTube merges with Google Video.
July 2012: The Olympics are live-streamed for the very first time.
October 2012: YouTube partners with ABC to live-stream a presidential debate for the first time.
December 2012: “Gangnam Style” becomes the first video to hit 1 billion views.
March 2013: YouTube reaches 1 billion unique monthly visitors.
November 2014: Music Key is added to the site. This subscription-based service enabled users to stream music videos advertisement free from participating YouTube and Google Play Music labels. YouTube Red would later supersede it.
November 2015: YouTube Red launches. Now called YouTube Premium, this is a subscription service offered by YouTube to provide advertisement-free access to its content.
January 2016: Adele’s “Hello” becomes the fastest video to hit 1 billion views in 88 days.
February 2016: YouTube launches its general subscription service. This replaces YouTube Red.
April 2018: This month, a shooting occurred at the YouTube headquarters in San Bruno, California. The shooter was later identified as Nasim Najafi Aghdam. He entered the building from an exterior parking garage and wounded three people before dying.
October 2019: YouTube launches its “Two Ads” feature for the first time. Adding two ads (one unskippable) gives YouTube creators a much-needed boost in potential revenue. This followed the so-called “Ad Apocalypse” a few months earlier. This event was where YouTube demonetized videos or entire channels for perceived “advertiser-unfriendly” content.
November 2019: This month, Google announced that it would begin phasing out its classic version of YouTube Studio to all content creators by spring 2020.
June 2020: YouTube begins to phase out its platform’s ability to use categories.
2020-today: Since 2020, YouTube has continued to grow exponentially , with an estimated 2.6 billion active users by the end of 2022. All those eyeballs have allowed YouTube to increase its revenue to an estimated $30 billion by the close of 2022.

How did YouTube get its name?

Unlike many other company names, YouTube’s name is relatively self-explanatory.

“The name “ YouTube ” is pretty straightforward. The “You” represents that the content is user-generated, created by individual users and not the site itself, and “Tube” is a nod toward an older original term for television.

Mixter_X94/YouTube

Soon after YouTube’s URL was registered, it was attacked by another company called Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment . Their website address just happened to be very similar — www.utube.com . They filed a lawsuit against YouTube , which appears to have been unsuccessful. Today that company’s URL is www.utubeonline.com.

Since its early days in 2005, YouTube has become a behemoth of the Internet. It is now in more than 75 countries and available in 61 languages, with hundreds of hours of video content uploaded every minute! Today, the site has over one billion users and has become the de facto online video-sharing platform.

How does YouTube make money?

Like any business, YouTube needs to make money somehow. But how exactly does YouTube do it? Let’s take a quick look.

Before being purchased by Google, YouTube had declared a monthly income of somewhere in the region of $15 million. Despite this, it was far from profitable when Google acquired the site in 2006. But profitability wasn’t the main reason that Google snapped them up.

Mike Lawrence/Flickr

Google saw the potential for the platform as an online video service. They surmised that combining YouTube’s platform with Google’s enormous internet traffic would only be a matter of time before the investment paid off. Google eventually added its ads service to video content on the platform to bring in some much-needed revenue from the site. And it certainly worked. By June 2008, Forbes magazine reported that YouTube was making somewhere in the region of $200 million annually, mainly owing to progress in advertising sales.

Through years of refinement, Google began to embed targeted advertising directly into the video clips its users watched and promoted featured content. This was later replaced by running paid ads before a video started playing. The company has also recently added the “two-ads” feature, which shows two ads simultaneously, to boost potential revenue from the content.

But this is not the only revenue source for the platform. YouTube also pulls in money through its subscriber-based model — now called YouTube Premium (previously YouTube Red), Music Premium service, and pay-TV service. This service offers users exclusive benefits, like removing ads, and charges subscribers a regular subscription fee. As of 2017, Alphabet no longer breaks down revenue by platform, so it is unclear exactly how much money YouTube brings in. However, as of 2019, YouTube is believed to have generated around $15 billion for Alphabet — about 10% of its annual revenue. Not too shabby.

But revenue is rarely without overheads. YouTube’s running costs are thought to be significant, believed by some to be as much as $5 or $6 million a month. The bulk of this cost is from providing sufficient network bandwidth for its millions of users and a host of other expenses related to running such a large company. For the quarter ending December 2019, Alphabet reported making $46 billion in revenue. Of that, somewhere in the region of $10.7 billion was profit.

Most of this was reaped from Google’s main search business, YouTube ad revenue, and Google Cloud service income. As you can see, YouTube has come a long way since its inception in 2005. As social media begins to see losses from companies pulling their ad campaigns in response to hate content, as well as actions such as the indiscriminate demonetization of some channels, the banning of specific controversial content creators for promoting hate speech, as well as the rise of Chinese live-streaming platforms, YouTube’s future is anyone’s guess.

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ABOUT THE EDITOR

Christopher McFadden Christopher graduated from Cardiff University in 2004 with a Masters Degree in Geology. Since then, he has worked exclusively within the Built Environment, Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Consultancy industries. He is a qualified and accredited Energy Consultant, Green Deal Assessor and Practitioner member of IEMA. Chris’s main interests range from Science and Engineering, Military and Ancient History to Politics and Philosophy.

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96 YouTube Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best youtube video essay ideas, 🥇 good video essay topics on youtube, 📺 interesting youtube video essay topics, 🎥 youtube video essay topic ideas.

How to Create a YouTube Channel? Purpose: The purpose of the report is to inform and educate the audience on the specifics and details of how to create a YouTube channel.
How YouTube Changed the Way We Communicate? Moreover, the extensive selection of documentaries available on YouTube allows anyone to see the nature of the farthest locations of the Earth without the need to leave the comfort of their home.
YouTube Case: Copyright Infringement of Music and Films The aim of the current research is to assess YouTube’s copyright infringement of music and films. The DMCA is a copyright law in the United States, and it protects the company from copyright infringement among […]
Fair Use and Copyright on YouTube With the number of content creators, companies, and independent artists on the platform, as well as the inclusion of the ability to monetize problems of Fair use and Copyright have begun to emerge on the […]
Social Media Metrics: Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter For an individual to share a video through YouTube there will be need for the individual to sign up for an account with YouTube.
The YouTube Video “How to Choose Your News” by Damon Brown Nowadays, social media, blogs, and YouTube channels have increased the freedom for people to report information, which affects the credibility and reliability of the news.
Influence of YouTube and Facebook on Business Two of the most influential and promising technologies in this age are the YouTube and Facebook, a social website. The impact of social media on business is remarkable and companies use YouTube to market their […]
YouTube as an Educational Tool The source provides every visitor with the information necessary to be well acquainted with the opportunities that the site presents and teaches how to use the site YouTube with the highest degree of efficiency.
The YouTube Platform’s Development and Influence YouTube has developed into a major social media platform that has significantly influenced the growth of the social media role and shaped various population groups. The fundamentals of living a holy life and the image […]
Evaluation of YouTube Trends: Impact of Work-Life Balance It is possible to damage their reputation at work if they let their personal life have too much of an effect on how they behave on the job.
The “Johnny Harris” YouTube Channel and Perception The research inquiry is the following: “What has been the nature and extent of the channel followers’ ability to decode and use provided content?” The interpretive research paradigm is the appropriate approach in this context […]
How to Start a YouTube Channel Totally appreciate it.” The structure of a video consists of the introduction of the speaker, a description of each step taken to create a channel and the recommendations of linked videos.
Creating a YouTube Channel Within the MNC Context Specifically, the application of interpretivism and the inductive approach is recommended in order to dissect the issue of social media and its role in building a PR strategy for MNCs in the global context.
YouTube’s Performance Plan Market share of YouTube Corporation is close to 60% of all the internet video services. Originally, it is a big marketing operation service.
Leadership at YouTube: Susan Wojcicki Educated at Harvard and the University of California, Wojcicki was involved in the founding of Google and was the person behind Google’s acquisition of YouTube in 2006.
Changing the Culture via YouTube: Creating and Consuming Streaming Videos The woman says that the creators of video on the platform once will face problems of authenticity. This phenomenon is related to the evolution of channels as the video hosting algorithms change.
YouTube Videos and Length’s Influence on Their Quality The represented video of Simon’s Cat is an episode from the series of pictured comic sketches about a cat and its owner.
Competitor Companies: YouTube vs. Google Video The restriction of user-generated content to the use of a downloadable plug-in from VideoLAN had an irreversible effect on the growth of the site since it troubled many users in its operation and hence necessitated […]
YouTube, the Internet and the Future of Movies The paper will analyze the dynamics in one of these industries i.e.the movie industry and what it needs to do in order to cope with these challenges from the digital world.
YouTube’s Marketing Balance Scorecard The graph can be useful, due to the ability for updates and modifications that will represent the current situation in marketing.
“Space Station Broadcast” Comedy: YouTube Sensation In the contemporary world that is closely connected with the Internet, the video platform YouTube is the source of information for millions of people.
Helvetica Typeface and Its Use on YouTube Helvetica’s popularity in society is explained by the fact that this typeface assists in the reading process owing to the simplicity of the design.
Playstation Online Community in Twitter and YouTube Playstation Community is connected with the brand’s channels on social media such as Twitter and Youtube, so there is a possibility to engage with the content created both by users and the brand.
YouTube as a Product Promotion Platform The rapid development of Internet technologies and the emergence of social media structures affect the marketing methods and strategies greatly. The posts and customer reviews create the risk factors for the marketing strategies efficiency, and […]
YouTube Instructions: How to Upload a Video Blogging: Posting of information on the Internet, in particular on the blogosphere, which supports posts on a wide range of topics.
YouTube and Google Video The failure of Google video is attributable to its initial lack of a way to view actual videos and finally Google’s acquisition of YouTube.
Rapid Progress of YouTube The level of the competition among these sites depends on the question of the popularity of Google resources and YouTube among the users.
YouTube’s Misunderstood Purpose Viacom should understand that commercial media on YouTube is like transformational of cultural commodities to cultural resources and YouTube just offers a platform for the audience to produce second order commodities that they can and […]
Information System Profession: iPhone and YouTube These indicate the advancements in the information system as a profession The issues in the articles reviewed are related to the course in a number of ways.
Social Networking Site: Facebook, YouTube and Twitter Today, social networking sites, such as Facebook, Orkut, YouTube, Tagged, Twitter, and MySpace, are some of the most important forms of communication, connecting billions of people from all corners of the world at the click […]
Analyse How YouTube Appropriates and Exploits Other Media
Comparison Between the YouTube Channels of Two American Multinational Corporations: PepsiCo and the Coca-Cola Company
Analysis of YouTube Videos and Its Influence on Society
Analysis of YouTube Videos on Supervision, Control and Leadership Styles
Analysis of YouTube Video Wealth Inequality
Analyzing YouTube Videos on Environmental Issues
Analysis of the Evolution of YouTube as a Networking Video Platform
Can Not Live Without YouTube?
Can YouTube Be the Best Media in Entertainment?
Does YouTube Make Google a Big Target for Copyright Suits?
How Companies Market Themselves Using YouTube?
How to Promote your Videos on YouTube?
How YouTube Has Changed the Way People Communicate and Collaborate?
How YouTube Operates as a Social Networking?
SWOT Analysis (on Maker Studios of YouTube)
Pros and Cons of YouTube for College Students
What Are the Possible Revenue Models for YouTube?
What Is Better: YouTube or Vimeo?
3 Steps To Getting More Traffic From YouTube
Brief Look at YouTube
Advertising on YouTube
A Great Advancement in the Realm of Education Due to YouTube
Benefits of Development and Usage of YouTube
Deadly Videos and YouTube are Bad for Children and Teens
Effects of YouTube on the Media
Challenges Facing Companies by Using YouTube
Google’s Acquisition of YouTube: Ethical Considerations of Content
History of YouTube.com
The Phenomenon of Flaming on YouTube in Malaysia
Different Benefits of Using YouTube at School
Effects of Netflix and YouTube on My Life
Effects of YouTube on Teens and Young Adults
Growth of Advertising on YouTube
Impact of YouTube on Popular Culture
Rise of Electronic Dance Music and Musicians Gaining Success Via YouTube
YouTube Phenomenon and Challenges, Marketing Mix of Innocent Company
What Is the History of YouTube?
What Was YouTube’s First Video?
What Are the Best Ways to Promote a YouTube Channel?
What Are Some of the Best YouTube Channels?
What Is the Most Popular YouTube Channel in the World?
What Are Good YouTube Channels to Learn English Language?
What Does the Term Personal Branding on YouTube Mean?
Which Are the Most Watched YouTube Videos?
How Do Deep Neural Networks for YouTube Recommendations Work?
What’s the Most Effective Way to Grow a YouTube Channel?
Why You Should Join the YouTube Community?
Why You Should Rate YouTube Videos You Watch?
What Are Some Amazing Facts About YouTube?
How Can You Find Solid Healthcare Information on YouTube?
What Is the Best Way to Improve Search Rankings on YouTube?
What Online Video Sites Are Any Good Besides YouTube?
What Are Some Good Ideas for a YouTube Channel?
Do You Think YouTube Will Die at Some Point, and if So When?
How Do People Get Millions of Views on YouTube?
What Is the Oldest Channel on YouTube?
How Much Is a Million YouTube Views Worth for the Content Creator?
What Is the Most Disliked Video in YouTube?
Which YouTube Niche Is the Most Profitable?
Yahoo Research Topics
Entertainment Ideas
TV Show Titles
Social Networking Essay Ideas
Cyber Bullying Essay Ideas
Fake News Research Ideas
Social Media Topics
Telecommunications Questions
Chicago (A-D)
Chicago (N-B)

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Bibliography

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Movie Reviews

Tv/streaming, collections, chaz's journal, great movies, contributors, "the art of the video essay," a page by kevin lee, grandmaster of the form.

By Kevin Lee, Our Far-Flung Correspondent

In the age of YouTube and Vimeo, one of the most exciting developments in film culture are online video essays that explore different aspects of the movies. These videos take footage from films and reconfigure them using editing, text, graphics and voiceover to reveal startling observations and insights, visualizing them in ways that text criticism can't. These videos are typically produced independently by using consumer-level equipment, demonstrating that just about anyone with a computer can be both a filmmaker and a critic. The only limits are those of imagination and intelligence.

Below is a handpicked list of some of the most outstanding and representative works so far among this emerging genre of online videos. All of them feature regular contributors to Roger Ebert's website. Many of these videos and their creators will be featured in a panel presentation at this year's Ebertfest in April.

1. "The Sight and Sound Film Poll: A Tribute to Roger Ebert and His Favorite Films." Produced in anticipation of last year's Sight and Sound International Critics Poll of the greatest films of all time. The video focuses on four of Roger's favorite films of all time, the ones that have been part of his top ten lists for the last 30 years. His writing on those films, as found in an article written in his Video Home Companion from the 1980s, is used as a script and narrated by a chorus of 20 Ebert contributors. Read Roger's response to the video: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/05/a_symphony_of_voices.html

The Sight and Sound Film Poll: An International Tribute to Roger Ebert and His Favorite Films from Press Play Video Blog on Vimeo .

2. "The Spielberg Face." By Kevin B. Lee. An exploration of the human face as the visual signature throughout the career of Steven Spielberg .

3. "Falling: The Architecture of Gravity." By Jim Emerson. A video essay comparing how different movies and cinema techniques depict the act of falling. Accompanied by Jim's article on his Scanners blog: http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/01/the_architecture_of_gravity.html

4. " Wes Anderson : The Substance of Style, Part 5." By Matt Zoller Seitz. The prologue to The Royal Tenenbaums is annotated with text and inserts pointing out different stylistic influences of the sequence. The video is the finale of a five-part series of video essays that led to a book project on Wes Anderson, which will be released this year. Originally published on the Moving Image Source: http://www.movingimagesource.us/articles/the-substance-of-style-pt-5-20090413

5. "Constructive Editing in Robert Bresson's Pickpocket." By David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson. Two of cinema's leading scholars explore the art of editing. Part of a series of video essays produced with Criterion as educational supplements for Bordwell and Thompson's legendary textbook Film Art: an Introduction. Featured on their blog Observations on Film Art: http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2012/10/28/news-a-video-essay-on-constructive-editing/

Constructive Editing in Robert Bresson's Pickpocket from David Bordwell on Vimeo .

6. "Low Budget Eye Candy." By Steven Boone. A fierce advocate for DIY indie filmmaking demonstrates how George Lucas was once a truly resourceful low budget filmmaker. Originally featured on the Scanners blog: http://blogs.suntimes.com/scanners/2009/02/george_lucas_lowbudget_eyecand.html

LOW BUDGET EYE CANDY #1 from Steven Boone on Vimeo .

7. "Super: A Brief History of Superhero Films." By Michael Mirasol. Featured on Ebert's Far-Flung Correspondents: http://blogs.suntimes.com/foreignc/2012/05/a-brief-history-of-the-superhero.html

SUPER: A Brief History of Superhero Films from Michael Mirasol on Vimeo .

Roger Ebert

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17 Niche YouTube Video Essays To Make You An Expert On Random Topics

The internet is a fantastic place to discover new information — especially when it comes to watching YouTube videos . YouTube consumes so many people’s lives in this digital age we live in, sometimes bringing viewers down a rabbit hole of random, miscellaneous information. For me personally, it can be literally hours of clicking from one video to the next before I come up for air and ask myself: How in the heck did I end up here?

But while some of the information you find on YouTube may be random, that doesn’t necessarily mean learning it is a waste of time. You can actually pick up a lot of specific, useful details about pretty much any topic you can think of. Who knows? You might even become a subject-matter expert yourself… or at least have a lot of fun by entertaining your friends with some niche stories and facts. All in all, YouTube-diving is a great way to find out information on a specific topic and potentially gain a new perspective from someone who has done their research.

If that sounds appealing to you, check out these 16 YouTube video essays that will surely captivate you — and maybe leave you wanting to know even more.

On the downfall of tween culture

Video essayist Jordan Theresa explores tons of pop culture topics on her channel, but her January 2024 video “Where Have All The Tweens Gone?” is especially compelling. The 42-minute video covers the phenomenon of Gen Alpha quickly going from being children to being teenagers, essentially skipping the tween stage — and walks through the reasons this might be happening.

On Teenage Spaces No Longer Existing

Madisyn Brown is a video essayist and singer who has posted a range of video essays on her channel discussing issues relating to femininity, artists in the music industry, and other pop culture-related topics. In this 25-minute video essay, she discusses how the spaces for teenagers to find community and identity is becoming obsolete, touching on the idea of today’s kids feeling the need to grow up faster and how the stage of being a teenager (the transition from child to adult) is becoming more narrow and blurred in society.

On The “Girl-ification” of TikTok Trends

Here we have a second video essay by Madisyn Brown . In this video essay, Madisyn discusses the popular girl-ification of phrasing that’s been circulating the internet, such as “girl dinner” and “girl math.” She talks about the girlification of trends, analyzes it and its roots, and the impact (debatably positive or negative) it has on us.

On How Beauty Maintenance Is A Scam

In recent years, beauty maintenance has expanded into a multi-step process with an increased implementation of numerous products into our routines — partly in thanks to the rise of self-care products on social media. This third video by Madisyn Brown discusses beauty maintenance, explains how it all came about, and argues that it’s a scam.

On the Entire History of Big Brother

Fans of the show Big Brother , or those who are interested in learning more about the show, this video is for you. Ethanimale creates videos relating to the show, including seasonal reviews, personal thoughts throughout the season as a fan, analysis of seasonal twists, individual player strategies and competition breakdowns, and more. In this 40-minute video, Ethanimale discusses the entire history of the show so viewers can get a glimpse into how the series has transformed over time. The video starts with how the concept of the show was developed, and it then leads into a breakdown of each individual season (so in other words — as a heads up — each season will be spoiled).

On The Plastic Feminism of Barbie

So many Barbie-related trends and discussions have arisen in the past year due to the release of the Barbie movie in the summer of 2023. Video essayist verilybitchie talks about the Barbie movie (without giving too many spoilers) but doesn’t just focus on solely reviewing the film, but rather explores how the feminism in the film ties into the controversial image of Barbie that Mattel has created over the years.

On the Transformation of Reality TV

In this video essay, Casey Aonso argues that reality TV has taken a turn for the worse — despite the power of the internet, bigger budgets, and more unique show concepts. Casey discusses why reality TV isn’t the same compared to the shows we grew up on and the factors that are causing this.

On The Glamorous Lies Reality TV Sells

If you love reality TV, you won’t mind that there are two reality TV-themed essays on this list. Here, Salari talks about what goes on behind the scenes when it comes to some of the most well-known reality competition shows. There is more than what meets the eye and the video essayist discusses why the format does not lead to a lot more success among the contestants.

On The Psychology of Advertising

Any advertising and psychology majors out there? This video essay by Existential Guide explains why some advertisements tend to make more of an impression with consumers, along with what tactics cause certain advertisements to leave a long-lasting impression.

On Color Psychology

Similarly, this video essay by Visme explains what certain colors mean in terms of evoking certain messages or emotions, and how those translate into marketing when it comes to appealing to consumers and sending the right message to people.

On Why Movie Titles Matter

Sometimes the most interesting perspectives are the most concise. In this five-minute video essay, Karsten Runquist talks about why movie titles are one of the most important aspects of the filmmaking process. Karsten has other videos on their channel analyzing specific films and movies in monthly review videos.

On A Kids Movie That’s Actually About Existentialism

Want to feel nostalgic? For Gen Zers who grew up watching the animated movies that were released during the late 2000s to early 2010s during their childhood, this video essay by The Fiction Addiction examines a SONY movie called Surf’s Up (2007) and how the philosophical nature of existentialism is present and prominent in the movie.

On How The Food You Eat Affects Your Brain

We know certain types of foods are good for our bodies, but what about our brains? It turns out, certain foods and the components that make each food affect our brain in different ways. This TED-Ed video by Mia Nacumelli explains the science of food and its effect on our brains.

On How Modern Media Affects Attentions Spans

In this video essay, oliSUNvia — whose channel’s “about” page is described as “philosophy, social science research, media and gen z trends” — talks about how the incorporation of images and videos into our communication methods have affected our attention spans, and how that in turn affects society as a whole.

On Finding Purpose

Another video essay done by creator oliSUNvia touches on the purpose of life — more specifically, the difference between a meaningless and insignificant existence and finding ways to cope with insignificance and finding our own purpose in the life that we have.

On The Gen Z Vs Millennial Jean Style Debate

There’s been constant back and forth between millennials and Gen Z about who’s right on many topics, including which style of jeans is best. Here, video essayist Mina Le settles the debate once and for all!

On Aesthetics & Curated Identities

In this video essay, Shanspeare discusses social media’s obsession with the word “aesthetic” and the concept of curating a specific identity that needs to fit into established micro-trends. Shanspeare has other video essays that range in a variety of topics such as entertainment and pop culture, gender, and race.

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Masterpieces of Streaming

The video essays that spawned an entire YouTube genre

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Polygon’s latest series, The Masterpieces of Streaming , looks at the new batch of classics that have emerged from an evolving era of entertainment.

Like every medium before it, “video essays” on YouTube had a long road of production before being taken seriously. Film was undervalued in favor of literature, TV was undervalued in favor of film, and YouTube was undervalued in favor of TV. In over 10 years of video essays, though, there are some that stand out as landmarks of the form, masterpieces to bring new audiences in.

In Polygon’s list of the best video essays of 2020 , we outlined a taxonomy of what a video essay is . But time should be given to explain what video essays have been and where they might be going.

Video essays can be broken into three eras: pre-BreadTube, the BreadTube era, and post-BreadTube. So, what the hell is BreadTube? BreadTube, sometimes also called “LeftTube,” can be defined as a core group of high production value, academically-minded YouTubers who rose to prominence at the same time.

A brief history of video essays on YouTube

On YouTube, video essays pre-BreadTube started in earnest just after something completely unrelated to YouTube: the adoption of the Common Core State Standards Initiative (or, colloquially, just the “Common Core”). The Common Core was highly political, a type of hotly-contested educational reform that hadn’t been rolled out in decades.

Meanwhile, YouTube was in one of its earliest golden eras in 2010. Four years prior, YouTube had been purchased by Google for $1.65 billion in stock, a number that is simultaneously bonkers high and bonkers low. Ad revenue for creators was flowing. Creators like PewDiePie and Shane Dawson were thriving (because time is a flat circle). With its 2012 Original Channel Initiative , Google invested $100 million, and later an additional $200 million, to both celebrity and independent creators for new, original content on YouTube in an early attempt to rival TV programming.

This was also incentivized by YouTube’s 2012 public change to their algorithm , favoring watch time over clicks.

But video essays still weren’t a major genre on YouTube until the educational turmoil and newfound funds collided, resulting in three major networks: Crash Course in 2011 and SourceFed and PBS Digital Studios in 2012.

The BreadTube Era

With Google’s AdSense making YouTube more and more profitable for some creators, production values rose, and longer videos rose in prominence in the algo. Key creators became household names, but there was a pattern: most were fairly left-leaning and white.

But in 2019, long-time YouTube creator Kat Blaque asked, “Why is ‘LeftTube’ so white?”

Blaque received massive backlash for her criticisms; however, many other nonwhite YouTubers took the opportunity to speak up. More examples include Cheyenne Lin’s “Why Is YouTube So White?” , Angie Speaks’ “Who Are Black Leftists Supposed to Be?” , and T1J’s “I’m Kinda Over This Whole ‘LeftTube’ Thing.”

Since the whiteness of video essays has been more clearly illuminated, terms like “BreadTube’’ and “LeftTube” are seldom used to describe the video essay space. Likewise, the importance of flashy production has been de-emphasized.

Post-BreadTube

Like most phenomena, BreadTube does not have a single moment one can point to as its end, but in 2020 and 2021, it became clear that the golden days of BreadTube were in the past.

And, notably, prominent BreadTube creators consistently found themselves in hot water on Twitter. If beauty YouTubers have mastered the art of the crying apology video, video essayists have begun the art of intellectualized, conceptualized, semi-apology video essays. Natalie Wynn’s “Canceling” and Lindsay Ellis’s “Mask Off” discuss the YouTubers’ experiences with backlash after some phenomenally yikes tweets. Similarly, Gita Jackson of Vice has reported on the racism of SocialismDoneLeft.

We’re now in post-BreadTube era. More Black creators, like Yhara Zayd and Khadija Mbowe, are valued as the important video essayists they are. Video essays and commentary channels are seeing more overlap, like the works of D’Angelo Wallace and Jarvis Johnson .

With a history of YouTube video essays out of the way, let’s discuss some of the best of the best, listed here in chronological order by release date, spanning all three eras of the genre. Only one video essay has been selected from each creator, and creators whose works have also been featured on our Best of 2020 list have different works selected here. If you like any of the following videos, we highly recommend checking out the creators’ backlogs; there are plenty of masterpieces in the mix.

PBS Idea Channel, “Can Dungeons & Dragons Make You A Confident & Successful Person?” (October 10, 2012)

Many of the conventions of modern video essays — a charismatic quick-talking host, eye-grabbing pop culture gifs accompanying narration, and sleek edits — began with PBS Idea Channel. Idea Channel, which ran from 2012 to 2017 and produced over 200 videos, laid many of the blueprints for video essays to come. In this episode, host Mike Rugnetta dissects the practical applications of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons . The episode predates the tabletop renaissance, shepherded by Stranger Things and actual play podcasts , but gives the same level of love and appreciation the games would see in years to come.

Every Frame a Painting, “Edgar Wright - How to Do Visual Comedy” (May 26, 2014)

Like PBS Idea Channel, Every Frame a Painting was fundamental in setting the tone for video essays on YouTube. In this episode, the works of Edgar Wright (like Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ) are put in contrast with the trend of dialogue-based comedy films like The Hangover and Bridesmaids . The essay analyzes the lack of visual jokes in the American comedian style of comedy and shows the value of Wright’s mastery of physical comedy. The video winds up not just pointing out what makes Wright’s films so great, but also explaining the jokes in meticulous detail without ever ruining them.

Innuendo Studios, “This Is Phil Fish” (June 16, 2014)

As documented in the 2012 documentary Indie Game: The Movie and all over Twitter, game designer Phil Fish is a contentious figure, to say the least. Known for public meltdowns and abusive behavior, Phil Fish is easy to armchair diagnose, but Ian Danskin of Innuendo Studios uses this video to make something clear: We do not know Phil Fish. Before widespread discussions of parasocial relationships with online personalities, Innuendo Studios was pointing out the perils of treating semi-celebrities as anything other than strangers.

What’s So Great About That?, “Night In The Woods: Do You Always Have A Choice?” (April 20, 2017)

Player choice in video games is often emphasized as an integral facet of gameplay — but what if not having a real choice is the point? In this video, Grace Lee of What’s So Great About That? discusses how removing choice can add to a game’s narrative through the lens of sad, strange indie game Night in the Woods . What can a game with a mentally ill protagonist in a run-down post-industrial town teach us about what choices really mean, and how is a game the perfect way to depict that meaning? This video essay aims to make you see this game in a new light.

Pop Culture Detective, “Born Sexy Yesterday” (April 27, 2017)

One of the many “all killer no filler” channels on this list, Pop Culture Detective is best known as a trope namer. One of those tropes, “Born Sexy Yesterday,” encourages the audience to notice a specific, granular, but strangely prominent character trait in science fiction and fantasy: a female character who, through the conceit of the world and plot, has very little functional knowledge of the world around her, but is also a smoking hot adult. It’s sort of the reverse of the prominent anime trope of a grown woman, sometimes thousands of years old, inhabiting the body of a child. When broken down, the trope is not just a nightmare, it’s something you can’t unsee — and you start to see it everywhere .

Maggie Mae Fish, “Looking For Meaning in Tim Burton’s Movies” (April 24, 2018)

Tim Burton is an iconic example of an outsider making art for other outsiders who question and push the status quo ... right? In Maggie Mae Fish’s first video essay on her channel, she breaks down how Burton co-opts the anticapitalist aesthetics of German expressionism (most obviously, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ) to give an outsider edge to films that consistently, aggressively enforce the status quo. If you’re a die-hard Burton fan, this one might sting, but Jack Skellington would be proud of you for seeking knowledge. Just kidding. He’d probably want you to take the aesthetic of the knowledge and put it on something completely unrelated, removing it of meaning.

hbomberguy, “CTRL+ALT+DEL | SLA:3” (April 26, 2018)

Are you looking for a video essay with a little more unhinged chaos energy? Prepare yourself for this video by Harry Brewis, aka hbomberguy, analyzing the webcomic CTRL+ALT+DEL, and ultimately, the infamous loss.jpg. But this essay’s also more than that; it’s a response to the criticisms of analyzing pop culture, saying that sometimes art isn’t that deep, or that works can exist outside of the perspective of the creator. This video is infamous for its climax, which we won’t spoil here, but go in knowing it’s, at the very least, adjacent to not safe for work.

Folding Ideas, “A Lukewarm Defence of Fifty Shades of Grey” (August 31, 2018)

Speaking of not-safe-for-work, let’s talk about kink! Dan Olson of Folding Ideas has been creating phenomenal video essays for years. Highlighting “In Search of Flat Earth” as one of the best video essays in 2020 (and, honestly, ever) gives an opportunity to discuss his other masterpieces here: his three-part series dissecting the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. This introduction to the series discusses specifically the first film, and it does so in a way that is refreshingly kink-positive while still condemning the ways Fifty Shades has promoted extremely unsafe kink practices and dynamics. It also analyzes the first film with a shockingly fair lens, giving accolades where they’re due (that cinematography!) and ripping the film to shreds when necessary (what the hell are these characters?).

ToonrificTariq, “How To BLACK: An Analysis of Black Cartoon Characters (feat. ReviewYaLife)” (January 13, 2019)

While ToonrificTariq’s channel usually focuses on fantastic, engaging reviews of off-kilter nostalgic cartoons — think Braceface and As Told By Ginger — takes this video to explain the importance of writing Black characters in cartoons for kids, and not just one token Black friend per show. Through the lens of shows like Craig of the Creek and Proud Family , ToonrificTariq and guest co-host ReviewYaLife explain the way Black characters have been written into the boxes and how those tropes can be overcome by writers in the future. The collaboration between the two YouTubers also allows a mix of scripted, analytical content and some goofy, fun back-and-forth and riffing.

Jacob Geller, “Games, Schools, and Worlds Designed for Violence” (October 1, 2019)

Jacob Geller ( who has written for Polygon ) has this way of baking sincerity, vulnerability, and so much care into his video essays. This episode is rough, digging into what level design in war games can tell us about the architecture of American schools following the tragic Sandy Hook shooting in 2012. It’s a video essay about video games, about violence, about safety, and about childhood. It’s a video essay about what we prioritize and how, and what that priority can look like. It’s a video essay that will leave you with deep contemplation, but a hungry contemplation, a need to learn and observe more.

Accented Cinema, “Parasite: Mastering the Basics of Cinema” (November 7, 2019)

2019 Bong Joon-ho cinematic masterpiece Parasite is filled to the brim with things to analyze, but Yang Zhang of Accented Cinema takes his discussion back to the basics. Focusing on how the film uses camera positions, light, and lines, the essay shows the mastery of details many viewers might not have noticed on first watch. But once you do notice them, they’re extremely, almost comically overt, while still being incredibly effective. The way the video conveys these ideas is simple, straightforward, and accessible while still illuminating so much about the film and remaining engaging and fun to watch. Accented Cinema turns this video into a 101 film studies crash course, showing how mastery of the basics can make a film such a standout.

Kat Blaque, “So... Let’s Talk About JK Rowling’s Tweet” (December 23, 2019)

In 2020, J. K. Rowling wrote her most infamous tweet about trans people, exemplifying a debate about trans rights and identities that is still becoming more and more intense today. Rowling’s tweet was not the first, or the most important, or even her first — but it was one of the tweets about the issue that gained the most attention. Kat Blaque’s video essay on the tweet isn’t really about the tweet itself. Instead, it’s a masterful course in transphobia, TERFs, and how people hide their prejudice against trans people in progressive language. In an especially memorable passage, Blaque breaks down the tweet, line by line, phrase by phrase, explaining how each of them convey a different aspect of transphobia.

Philosophy Tube, “Data” (January 31, 2020)

One of the most underrated essays in Philosophy Tube’s catalogue, “Data” explains the importance of data privacy. Data privacy is often easily written off; “I have nothing to hide,” and “It makes my ads better,” are both given as defenses against the importance of data privacy. In this essay, though, creator Abigail Thorn breaks traditional essay form to depict an almost Plato-like philosophical dialogue between two characters: a bar patron and the bar’s bouncer. It’s also somewhat of a choose-your-own-adventure game, a post- Bandersnatch improvement upon the Bandersnatch concept.

Intelexual Media, “A Short History of American Celebrity” (February 13, 2020)

Historian Elexus Jionde of Intelexual Media has one of the strongest and sharpest analytical voices when discussing celebrity, from gossip to idolization to the celebrity industrial complex to stan culture . Her history of American celebrity is filled to the brim with information, fact following fact at a pace that’s breakneck without ever leaving the audience behind. While the video initially seems like just a history, there’s a thesis baked into the content about what celebrity is, how it got to where it is today, and where it might be going—and what all of that means about the rest of us.

Princess Weekes, “Empire and Imperialism in Children’s Cartoons—a super light topic” (June 22, 2020)

This video by Princess Weekes (Melina Pendulum) starts with a bang — a quick, goofy song followed by a steep dive into imperialization and its effect on intergenerational trauma. And then, it connects those concepts to much-beloved cartoons for kids like Avatar: The Last Airbender , Steven Universe , and She-Ra and the Princesses of Power . Fans of shows like these may be burnt out on fandom discourse quickly saying, “thing bad!” because of how they view its stance on imperialization. Weekes, however, has always favored nuance and close reading. Her take on imperialization in cartoons offers a more complex method of analyzing these shows, and the cartoons that will certainly drum up the same conversations in the future.

Yhara Zayd, “Holes & The Prison-Industrial Complex” (July 7, 2020)

2003’s Holes absolutely rules, and Yhara Zayd’s video essay on the film shows why it isn’t just a fun classic with memorable characters. It’s also way, way more complex than most of us might remember. Like Dan Olson, Yhara Zayd appeared on our list of the best video essays of 2020, but frankly, any one of her videos could belong there or here. What makes this analysis of Holes stand out is the meticulous attention to detail Zayd has in her analysis, revealing the threads that connect the film’s commentary across its multiple interwoven plotlines. And, of course, there’s Zayd’s trademark quiet passion for the work she’s discussing, making this essay just as much of a close reading as it is a love letter to the film.

D’Angelo Wallace, “The Disappearance of Blaire White” (November 2, 2020)

D’Angelo Wallace is best known as a commentary YouTuber, someone who makes videos reacting to current events, pop culture, and, of course, other YouTubers. With his hour-long essay on YouTuber Blaire White, though, that commentary took a sharp turn into cultural analysis and introspection. For those unfamiliar with White’s work, she was once a prominent trans YouTuber known for her somewhat right-wing politics, including her discussion of other trans people. In Wallace’s video, her career is outlined — but so is the effect she had on her viewers. What is it about creators like White that makes them compelling? And what does it take for us to reevaluate what they’ve been saying?

Chromalore, “The Last Unicorn: Death and the Legacy of Fantasy” (December 3, 2020)

Chromalore is a baffling internet presence. With one video essay up, one single tweet, and a Twitter bio that simply reads, “just one (1) video essay, as a treat,” this channel feels like the analysis equivalent of seeing someone absolutely captivating at a party who you know you’ll never see again, and who you know you’ll never forget.

This video essay discusses themes of death, memory, identity, remorse, and humanity as seen through both the film and the novel The Last Unicorn . It weaves together art history and music, Christian iconography and anime-inspired character designs. It talks about why this film is so beloved and the effect it’s had on audiences today. It’s moving, deeply researched, brilliantly executed, and we will probably never see this creator again.

Khadija Mbowe, “Digital Blackface?” (December 23, 2020)

“Digital Blackface” is a term popularized by Lauren Michele Jackson’s 2017 Teen Vogue essay, “We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in Reaction GIFs.” The piece explains the prominence of white people using the images of Black people without context to convey a reaction, and Khadija Mbowe’s deep dive on the subject expands on how, and why, blackface tropes have evolved in the digital sphere. Mbowe’s essay involves a great deal of history and analysis, all of which is deeply uncomfortable. Consider this a content warning for depictions of racism throughout the video. But that discomfort is key to explaining why digital blackface is such a problem and how nonblack people, especially white people, can be more cognizant about how they depict their reactions online.

CJ the X, “No Face Is An Incel” (April 4, 2021)

Rounding out this list is a 2021 newcomer to video essays with an endlessly enjoyable gremlin energy that still winds up being some of the smartest, sharpest, and funniest discussions about pop culture. CJ the X, a human sableye , breaks down one of the most iconic and merch-ified Studio Ghibli characters, No Face, who is an incel. This is a video essay best experienced with no knowledge except its main thesis—that No Face is an incel—so you can sit back, be beguiled, be enraptured, and then be convinced.

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The Masterpieces of Streaming

Social Media: YouTube essay

Today, social media play an increasingly more important role in the life of society because users spend a lot of time online and they view social media as an important source of information about issues which users are concerned with. YouTube, being one of the mainstream social media, allows users to share their videos online, create their channels and, thus, create their virtual communities united by common interests. YouTube also becomes a tool of the promotion of individuals and ideas because users can use the social media to promote themselves and their ideas. In such a situation, the distinct feature of YouTube is its performativity because users publishing their videos on YouTube focus on their performativity. Otherwise, they will not attract many users and become virtually useless for other users of YouTube but the authors of those videos (Lombe & Ssewamala 39). Hence, the performativity is not only the distinct feature of YouTube but also an essential condition of success of videos published on YouTube, whereas the public grows too concerned with the performativity that often leads to the failure of the audience to notice really significant and important issues, while perfomrability become prior to the cultural and social value of videos and messages published on YouTube. In such a way, the performativity of YouTube has a dubious effect, since, on the one hand, YouTube performativity makes it attractive and powerful social media allowing sharing visual data by users worldwide, while, on the other hand, YouTube performativity has a de structive impact on the existing legal and socio-cultural or ethical norms because often data published on YouTube violate basic rights, such as privacy or copyright, and offend existing ethical norms.

At the same time, social media became generators of the mainstream culture and new trends. In this regard, it is worth mentioning the fact that the development of social media, like YouTube, opens new opportunities for the development of virtual social communities united by their common interests. Users spend more and more time online developing their virtual social relations online. Social media become an important part of their life and virtual communities created with the help of and within social media play an important part in the development of socio-cultural norms and standards that affect the development of basic ethical and cultural norms of people and influence their lifestyle substantially.

YouTube has become a highly influential media which is extremely popular among users worldwide. Today, YouTube has millions or even billions of users worldwide. This is one of the most popular social media along with FaceBook, Twitter and others. The popularity of YouTube is closely intertwined with the publishing opportunity offered by the social media because users can publish their videos both documentary and featured ones. In such a way, users get ample opportunities to share their videos instantly. At the same time, the distinct feature of YouTube is its perfomrability because it is the performativity of videos that attracts users and the more performable a video is the more users will watch it, the more popular it becomes.

Even though YouTube focuses on sharing videos mainly, the social media still opens wide opportunities for users to share their creative ideas and make them performable. Users may be driven by different concerns, while publishing their videos and sharing information with others. Some of them may be willing to publishing some interesting facts recorded by them in the real world, while others manifest their creativity with the help of YouTube.

YouTube allows watching diverse videos and channels which may vary in their content. However, the popularity of videos determines their availability to the audience that influences the perception of information by the audience. For instance, the video that has the highest number of views becomes more and more popular and becomes mainstream, even though in its essence the video may have little cultural value or poor messages (Warr 291). In fact, the point is to make videos performable. The overwhelming majority of users publishing their videos on YouTube are concerned with the popularity of their videos than their content. Such a competition encourages users to focus on performativity of their videos above all.

What makes YouTube really popular and mainstream social media is its performativity because the audience receive what it wants and expects from the media, the performance, the show and entertainment with the possibility of the further communication and even interaction with other users of YouTube. For instance, users publishing the video on YouTube may expect the positive feedback from other users. If they receive a negative feedback, they may become interested in creating a new video to match the public interests. In such a way, videos become more and more performable to gain the positive feedback from the part of other users watching them on YouTube.

However, often the quantity of views determines the popularity of videos in YouTube and users erroneously associate the quality of the video with the number of views. In other words, they may believe that if the video has a large number of views, than it is good and mainstream.

Furthermore, users can leave comments after the video that also contributes to the formation of specific ideas because users may conduct disputes as they leave their comments.

Furthermore, videos published on YouTube may encourage users to publish their video responses that contribute to the further attraction of the users’ attention to the issue that has become the subject of controversy or dispute between users.

The popularity of YouTube is, to a significant extent, determined by the interest of the audience in visual information. In fact, it is not the interest proper. To put it more precisely, users prefer YouTube because this social media provides them with visual messages which are preferable for the public than print messages for instance (Warr 290). As people perceive the information about the surrounding world with the help of vision, they naturally choose YouTube in place of other social media because they have an opportunity to receive visual information that facilitates their perception of messages conveyed via YouTube.

At the same time, it is necessary to take the commercial background and opportunities offered by YouTube to its users. For instance, users can benefit from the cooperation with advertisers but they need to make their videos and channels popular to attract more advertisers. In such a way, YouTube offers business opportunities for users that stimulates the development of diverse channels to meet current demands of the public or create new ones.

Social Media: YouTube essay part 2

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How YouTube Took Over Our Television Screens

The platform first known for viral videos now attracts more viewers on TVs than Netflix, Disney+ or Amazon Prime Video.

Neal Mohan, wearing a gray jacket over a white shirt, sits sideways in a chair, facing the viewer.

By Nico Grant and John Koblin

Nico Grant reports on YouTube from San Francisco, and John Koblin reports on the television business from New York.

Two years ago, YouTube abandoned its audacious plan to beat Hollywood at its own game.

The video platform had tried to build the next Netflix, but didn’t gain traction. So it canceled the shows and fell back on the user-created content that had made it a household name.

It looked like a major concession — a failure, even. It turned out to be just a speed bump.

Now, YouTube consistently ranks as the most popular streaming service on U.S. televisions, surpassing the companies it once tried to emulate. The platform’s unlikely ascent to the top of the leaderboard shows that more than a decade into the streaming era, the internet has continued to change the nature of TV and the habits of viewers.

YouTube’s viewership on TVs jumped during the pandemic, when people were stuck at home and willing to consume more content. The trend has continued, in a sign of growing interest in a more laid-back TV experience. The platform’s popularity underscores the sharp differences between YouTube’s hands-off approach to content creation and the billion-dollar bets of old guard media companies like Disney, Paramount and NBCUniversal as they compete for audiences.

Since Netflix started offering original content in 2012, TV networks have jumped into the streaming race, trying to outflank one another with major upfront investments. Netflix alone spends $17 billion a year on new series and movies as well as on older fare from other companies’ libraries.

On YouTube, ordinary creators decide what to make and cover production costs. If a video racks up views and ad dollars, YouTube sends the creators 55 percent of that revenue. If a video flops, it doesn’t lose any money. The company says it has paid creators and partners $70 billion for content over the last three years — but always after it has made money, without having to take financial risks.

The decision to leave content decisions with creators was the most important lesson the company learned, Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief executive, said in an interview.

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PURPOSE
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Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom
YouTube video essays are long-form (relative to many other internet videos) critical videos that make arguments about media and culture. They're usually meticulously narrated and edited, juxtaposing video footage, images, audio, and text to make an argument much like a writer would do in a traditional essay.
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Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom
Active viewing opportunity: Since video essays present often complex arguments, invite students to watch and rewatch videos and outline their theses, key points, and conclusions. Research project: Have students find more examples that support, or argue against, a video's argument. Students could also write a response to a video essay.
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Why and How to Use YouTube Video Essays in Your Classroom

Use this unique art form to build your students' media-literacy skills.

What Are YouTube Video Essays?

Why Are They Great for Learning?

How Can They Be Used in Classrooms?

Channels and Videos to Check Out

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How to Write a Video Essay: A Step-by-Step Guide and Tips

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