Investigating Genres and My Taste in Youtubers

While I sit here and think more about how to write in different formats, I am realizing more and more how basic I am. For real. I regularly watch Youtube videos on pop culture (mostly John Green if I am being perfectly honest). I will also shamelessly admit that I get most of my knowledge on current events from teen magazine articles and radio stations when there is a break in between songs. Anyway, I am so excited to finally have a chance to experiment with these different art forms -- especially the video essay.

Rucchii. "Princess Pewdie." 06/11/2013 via deviantart.com. Noncommerical -- No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

Another amazing -- and hysterical -- youtuber who I regularly watch.

1. The video essay, based on videos posted by feministfrequency (who I personally vibe with as a fellow feminist), Catherine Heath, and youtuber NerdWriter1 whose video I absolutely loved since it was all about emotions (as a psych major I ate it up) were all very different in execution, but all had the same general purpose: to inform and persuade. Whether it be a video of someone talking directly to the camera, or a narrator voicing over a series of images and videos, or even a more artistic approach to convey a particular point.

2. This genre is typically found on vlogs, but most commonly on Youtube. A lot of people view this genre without even realizing that what they are watching is a visual and audible essay. I know I did. Who would have thought English would actually be relevant in our social lives?

3. The typical audience for this genre changes based on the topic of the video. Typically a Youtube video is geared more towards young adults and kids since we are the generation who grew up surrounded by technology. 

4. What's really intriguing about this media is that it indulges multiple senses at once and requires the audience's full attention. To be able to listen to an argument and have points solidified by visual aids is an ingenious way to keep the audience hooked and tuned in. It's a type of media that literally says, "Hey! Look at me! Pay attention!" Something no other media has the ability to do.

5. I would have to say that a video essay is a form of media that is mostly used to inform, persuade, or prove a point to a specific, and mostly younger, audience. This form has taken off with the age of the internet where everything now is online. A video essay is most appropriate when an author wants to connect personally and really engage the audience while also having a lot of creative freedom.

Question: what's your favorite Youtube video that follows these rules?

Update: Ok so going through and reading other people's posts on this prompt made me feel like my posts are written very informally. Compared to Sarah Moskowitz's post about video essays, I felt like she got to the point faster than I did and her writing seems a lot more sophisticated (which I very much admire). Also, Eyal Ron's post about QRG's was also written in a more traditional way. This makes me a tad nervous about writing this semester, mainly since I really like writing more informally and I hope I get to continue with this new voice I'm discovering through blogging.