This is a recent discovery. And I don’t know if it’s just because of a change in my consumption behaviour. But I think, YouTube is finally starting to heal.
I get recommended way more videos that have this raw, authentic feeling to it. Just a person talking to a camera without fancy equipment or someone filming their everyday life with a phone. And these are frequently videos with under 1000 views. Since more views does not equal quality on YouTube, I would have this sense of feeling lucky to have found these gems when I do.
Two recent channels I discovered recently are lrnjulie and geezatrix. The former creates study livestreams and video essays with an almost philosophical touch, underlined with hand-drawn presentations (I especially liked her “I deleted all my social media and made a website” video, that’s how I discovered here when going down the SmallWeb rabbit hole). The latter makes cozy a-day-in-my-life videos (a “digital diary”) you can leave on in the background and create something yourself.
More prominent examples of this new trend are Life Of Riza and Colt Kirwan. Although their production value is immensely high (while using minimal equipment, they are simply great filmmakers and storytellers), the videos themselves still have a very down-to-earth vibe. Some even call them the main creators of the YouTube “New Wave”.
I’m curious to see how long this trend will continue. Or if it even is here to stay (was it even ever gone?). More “Broadcast Yourself” again, less “MrBeast videos with 120 cuts in 60 seconds”.
Feels like a breath of fresh air.
What are your thoughts on this post?
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