Yet, the prevailing popularity of video essays, from new and old creators alike, suggests otherwise. TikTok’s sudden, unwavering rise has proven the viability of bite-size content, and the app’s addictive nature has spawned fears about young people’s dwindling attention spans. This has played out concurrently with the pandemic-era shift toward short-form video, with Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube respectively launching Reels, Spotlight, and Shorts to compete against TikTok. What does seem newly relevant is how the video essay is becoming repackaged, as long-form video creators find a home on platforms besides YouTube. Some of the best-known video essay creators - Lindsay Ellis, Natalie Wynn of ContraPoints, and Abigail Thorn of PhilosophyTube - are often associated with BreadTube, an umbrella term for a group of left-leaning, long-form YouTubers who provide intellectualized commentary on political and cultural topics.Īny video that starts with "the rise and fall of" I'm clicking on it no matter the topic- zae | industry plant February 23, 2022Ī lot has been said about the video essay and its ever-shifting parameters. The video essay has been a means to entertain fan theories, explore the lore of a video game or a historical deep dive, explain or critique a social media trend, or like most written essays, expound upon an argument, hypothesis, or curiosity proposed by the creator.
Today, there are video essays devoted to virtually any topic you can think of, ranging anywhere from about 10 minutes to upward of an hour. These videos became a significant part of the 2010s YouTube landscape, and were popularized by creators across film, politics, and academic subcultures. Since 2012, when the platform began to prioritize watch-time over views, the genre flourished. Regardless, YouTube has become the undisputed home of the contemporary video essay. There is some debate over how the form preceded the platform some film scholars believe the video essay was born out of and remains heavily influenced by essay films, a type of nonfiction filmmaking. Video essays have been around for about a decade, if not more, on YouTube.
In short, I wanted something that gave the impression that I, the passive viewer, was smart. I wanted content that was entertaining, but simultaneously informational, thoughtful, and analytical. My pseudo-intellectual superego, however, soon became dissatisfied with the brain-numbing monotony of “day in the life” vlogs, old Bon Appétit test kitchen videos, and makeup tutorials. On days when I couldn’t bring myself to read recreationally, I tried to unwind after work by watching hours and hours of YouTube. The video essay’s reintroduction into my adult life was, like many things, a side effect of the pandemic.
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