How do you YouTube?
Is it a casual time waster or do you pay for all the bells and whistles in order to see and/or create content?
Some look up videos just for fun like, children throwing temper tantrums, old music videos or TV shows they've forgotten about, adorable animals - pets or candid footage, horrifying wrecks/disasters (it takes all kinds), sports clips, celeb interviews, or amazing physical feats of regular people. Some follow regular podcasts. Some utilize it by looking up how-to videos to help with a task. It can even be a decent research device for neutral topics like ocean floor topography or comparatives of the differences in appliances. Some upload videos on topics of personal interest even if they don't do it for a living.
Some have nothing to do with YouTube at all which is not a bad thing either. Even though I've had a YouTube account for years, I only recently, in the last couple of years, started surfing habitually and finding things that interest me. And I definitely qualify as watching just for time wasting unless I'm using it to learn instruments.
Channels I'm subscribed to:
I have a slew of videos saved on a play list for learning mandolin, bass, and short clips from different political commentators that I like, but I'm not subscribed to leave room for other things it occasionally recommends to me that I'll watch like large domino cascades, figure skaters from back in my day, competitive metrics over various things spanning decades, and size comparatives of fictional objects to name a few. It's actually little things like this that waste the most time, so I try not to click on them. However, the ones that I subscribe to are mostly the ones that don't necessarily need to be watched.. I can have them running in the background and listen to them while I'm busy or working so that I'm not wasting too much time. Beginning with my most frequently checked subscriptions.
The only political channel I'm subscribed to is AwakenWithJP. It features JP Sears whose videos are short and mostly comical. Comedy usually steals my heart anyway, and most political stuff is depressing, so I like to have his channel handy.
And of course, it's all about lists, lists, lists for me! So I
have a few that, while not solely devoted to ranked lists, do create
them among other things.
Lost in the Pond is a channel hosted by a British immigrant man living in Chicago with his American wife. And here's the real kicker for me - he actually likes America. It's just refreshing. Anyway he does comparatives of England and America since we are two countries separated by a common language and he wants to go over all the memos Britain and America lost in the pond. Sometimes it's language comparatives, sometimes it's cultural comparatives, sometimes it's just video and commentary on different cities he's visited since he's determined to see every state and most of the bigger monuments. His humor is snarky and dry as you'd expect so, of course, I love it. He embraces the British stereotype for fun. His videos are short (I'm defining short as 10 minutes or less) and just a nice, fun distraction.
Harry Potter Theory is, obviously, an HP fan channel. The only one I follow because it's not the sort of fan page that gets nit-picky or bitchy as many fan sites of different franchises are apt to do. The guy that makes the videos speaks softly and just puts out interesting content that ranges from discussion of the latest material like the Fantastic Beast series, to comparatives between book and movie, to a run down of the different types of wood used for different wands, to his own theories on some unexplained characters or moments that have been overlooked or who's the better between two characters. But not in a pushy way... He seems like someone you could have a friendly discussion with. Again, mostly short videos. And like the others I've mentioned so far, there's not daily postings which I like because it feels like less of an addiction to YouTube..
Minty Comedic Arts is an Australian guy that makes movie trivia lists. Mostly "10 things you didn't know about (insert movie)". His research is probably limited to things anyone can find on the internet, and he owns up when the sourcing is questionable. As for comedy, his jokes sometimes land and sometimes don't. But he's a movie lover and a trivia junkie like me so I feel a connection and he's quite passionate about his topics which makes him pleasant to listen to, even if it's a movie I already know well. And he talks about things most other movie list geeks don't like the movie posters and video game tie-ins. And he sometimes gives a bonus entry showcasing his own collectible merch. Not daily postings and his videos are midrange; about 15-20 minutes, but it's nothing I have to sit and watch.
For my fix of ranked lists of anything and everything, there's WatchMojo. They will literally rank anything. They even recently made a list of their top 10 most hated top 10 lists. Of course, whether I'm interested in the subjects being ranked is hit and miss. I'm subscribed so that it'll recommend not only lists from them but lists from Ms Mojo and Mojo UK. But I don't want them all crowding the newsfeed. And I usually stick to the top 10 lists rather than the top 20s. Just a personal preference.
I'm subscribed to only one music reactor. I feel silly admitting it because many think it's uncool to watch music reaction videos. But after seeing a few different ones, I think Jamel_AKA_Jamal seems like the most genuine. His reactions don't seem forced or even controlled. He has a real appreciation for music, he doesn't stop the videos too much and he never has anything mean or overly critical to say. He does have daily posts but, as with all the other stuff, if I don't know or care for the songs, I just don't watch. He has another music_and_more channel where he reacts to comedians and funny things. Not subscribed to that one but I get the recommendations. Video times range from short to long depending on song length and whether or not it gets blocked for copyright strikes.
Only one religious channel as well. Alastair Begg's channel Truth for Life. I've listened to him on the radio for years. I grew up in the era of James and Tammy Faye Baker, so I don't take listening to preachers or Bible teachers that have become public figures lightly. He's been critically vetted by me to my satisfaction. I find his sermons to be be both informative and edifying. He's not a sensationalist. He doesn't have a dream or dramatic, heart-tugging personal story for every situation. He doesn't bully your emotions up into to mystical highs or down into terror and fear. So, some may find him dry. But he's a very knowledgeable and funny little Scottish pastor from Ohio who is good for Christians to listen to. At least I think so. His 25 minute sermons are often broken into two to four parts depending on how long he's teaching on a topic or entire book of the Bible. The only one that I recommend as worth your time to look up on YouTube or the Truth for Life app.
Getting into the longer videos, one channel I really like is Cinema Therapy. I have a layman interest in psychology and I love movies so the unique and fun premise of this channel hooked me in. The two guys are a psychologist and a filmmaker. They watch segments from movies and while the filmmaker critiques the technical aspects of the scene, the psychologist breaks down the possible clinical disorders of characters and character interactions. It really is fascinating and they're obviously having so much fun and their chemistry is so good that I'll even listen to their ads that they have to read through instead of skipping through like I do with other channels. Depending on the topic, I don't necessarily have to know the movie either to enjoy it.
There are three of my most frequented channels that I'm subscribed to that I have to sit and watch though. The first is called RealLifeLore. It deals in a lot of geographical topics so seeing the graphics and maps is helpful. Subjects range from how maps are skewed, what landing in the world's most dangerous airport is like, what if Chile was way longer (up coast of both north and south America), world's strangest borders, what's the furthest away from civilization you can get, and lots of other random stuff. It's a great time waster.
The next is called TRYBALS. These need to be watched because they're entirely in subtitles; no English. It, too, is a reaction channel in which trybal people of the Middle East try different things and give their opinion. A lot of music, not all American. Different foods. Sometimes different TV shows like The Joy of Painting or Mr Bean. And they even tried painting along with a Bob Ross video. They're all from Sindh, Pakistan. The men are Muslims, the lady is Hindu. It's a unique perspective and they're all really nice people. Grateful people. This serves as a job they get paid for and it helps their families.
The third is Hollywood Graveyard. It's pretty self explanatory. The host showcases the memorials of celebs and other famous people. They run anywhere from a half hour to over an hour so I have to watch each episode in segments when I'm not busy.
I have other subscriptions that I don't check on as much because
they're best when watched as well and it's hard to find time to watch
everything that's watchable.
The Gentleman's Gazette... I'm not sure why I'm still subscribed to this one. There are some truly fascinating videos on historical men's fashions, but only a small percentage. They also fall into the long videos range so, it has to be a very interesting topic for me to sit and watch.
NativLang is a great channel. It covers all kinds of ancient and modern languages, etymologies, and writing systems. But the content is infrequent and I'm not interested in every language.
Then there are channels that I don't subscribe to because the content I like is the exception, not the rule, generally. Magazine channels like GQ, Vanity Fair, and Wired sometimes pop up with celeb interviews going over their most known characters or songs, or answering internet questions. Sometimes I'll see people of specific expertise either answering questions or analyzing how their profession is portrayed in film. And voice actors critiquing amateurs that have made videos of themselves doing some of the actor's most well known voices. But that's a subsection of what they cover and why I don't subscribe. I don't typically look for them either. But others I do keep an eye on even though I don't subscribe.
Channels that I'm not subscribed to but still get plenty of
recommendations to save and listen to:
More list fixes mostly.. Lists from the WhatCulture universe which includes What Culture, Trek Culture, What Culture Star Wars, Who Culture, Gaming Culture... It's sensory overload and it's all ranked lists. Many of them are better than Mojo's lists, especially since they're subject specific. But the algorithm knows what I like so they always turn up in the newsfeed. Short to midrange videos.
Jordan B Peterson. I discovered him a couple years ago and I love his content. He's a former psychology prof from the University of Toronto and practicing clinician. He's been hunted by the woke mobs for several years for the usual crimes of making common sense, being an adult, and being vocally against compelled speech. I've watched enough clips from his lectures, speaking tours, and podcasts that I get most of his recommendations anyway and I see subscribing as just clutter. Short clips to 1 to 2 hour podcasts that need to be listened to in segments.
Beth Roars. A Scottish vocal coach analyzes different singers in live performances. I don't subscribe because I'm only interested in singers I know and she does a wide variety. But it's fascinating to hear how the science of singing works and she has a lot of infectious enthusiasm.
I keep an eye on three reviewers. First, The Critical Drinker. I like this guy because he shares my views on the pitiful state of movies these days. I've stumbled onto a short series of videos he's done lamenting the way movies have been written in the last couple of decades and he makes compelling arguments. But the rest of his content is on shows I don't watch much of. Still, every now and then he'll make a complaint video and to be honest I just like having my own opinions validated.
Next, Rowan J Coleman. I've been watching his videos over-viewing every Star Trek series and movie. I like well put together opinion pieces even if we differ on some things. He also did some rankings. But I get plenty of rankings elsewhere and although I like Star Trek enough to listen to a longer vlog about it, he doesn't review enough other shows that I like as much to get his content all the time.
Finally, Clever Dick Films. Put out by a devoted Whovian and amateur documentarian that was making a series of documentaries on every Doctor that I was really enjoying but he stopped after the 10th Doctor and his content seems to have dried up. Maybe he's lost his funding.
The last two that I don't subscribe to but still look in on are
kind of heart-breakers. The first is called Legal Eagle. He's a
lawyer that has a channel explaining legal procedures. I found him by
coming upon his videos made about certain movies getting "lawyered"
by breaking down the courtroom scenes in movies and TV in terms of
how authentic they were. He also made some videos running down all
the laws broken in other movies like Jurassic Park and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. They're smart, funny, so enjoyable,
and the guy clearly knows his stuff. But he's a former 9th Circuit
Court intern and his background is filled with the usual liberal
academic bonifides. So, not only will I not subscribe but I won't
watch any of his videos analyzing current legal cases that are in the
news, which is almost all of what his content has been for the last
couple of years anyway. I don't want to ruin the good times I had
watching his movie and TV show videos. And any occasional new movie/tv material he puts out.
Steve Shives. Closest thing to a Star Trek soul mate I've ever found. When I listen to his videos it's like listening to my own thoughts and analysis. We agree on everything about Star Trek. At least everything Trek that I've seen. He's more immersed and has seen much more Trek content than me. About him I can truly say, "He gets it!"... He's also the worst kind of raging angry, belligerent, communist liberal on the internet. He actually wasn't unbearable about it until he got a response to one of his videos expressing disappointment over a few political jokes he made during the commentary and asking politely for him not to drag politics into it. It was then that he made a video telling anyone who didn't agree with him to unsubscribe and to basically go f**k themselves. I mean, I wasn't subscribed anyway, but was considering it. However, since he made his wishes so explicit... And I'm truly heartbroken and completely bewildered on how our "beliefs" on Star Trek can be so closely aligned while we clearly have polar opposite philosophies on real life. Bizarre. I guess some respect should be credited to him because he did, in fact, lose a lot of subscribers and his exclusively political videos don't get a lot of views, yet he hasn't toned down his politics at all; doubled down rather. I still watch his Trek videos, but it's just such a shame.
Anyway, that's how I YouTube. Those are the audio/visual things
that I enjoy being distracted by when I don't wish to engage in this
insane world. Written down for my friends that prefer to read rather
than do YouTube, or any kind of video leisure.
