The era of YouTube commentary and video essays: why we can’t stop watching

In the age of ever-shortening attention spans, it’s almost incomprehensible that long-form YouTube content is thriving. Many of us have had our brains fried to the point where we can no longer watch a video longer than two minutes if it has not been sped up, or if we don’t have another screen distracting us. Yet channels dedicated to deep dives into pop culture and hyper-analysed film breakdowns have seen meteoric success. Drew Gooden, Kurtis Conner, and Mike’s Mic are just a few of the creators who successfully turned in-depth analysis into highly engaging content. But is this just another internet trend? Realistically, they should not be doing as well as they are, considering the niche topics they cover. So why are we so captivated by them, and will it even last?

However, as the platform and algorithm matured, so did its audience. Enter the rise of commentary and video essays

Historically, YouTube was dominated by short-form viral videos, vlogs, and quick-hit content. Just look at the success of creators like David Dobrik, Liza Koshy, and Lele Pons. They focused on fast, snappy content and were rewarded. However, as the platform and algorithm matured, so did its audience. Enter the rise of commentary and video essays. A significant factor in the introduction of commentary channels was developments in the YouTube algorithm, which would start to favour and reward watch time and viewer retention over clicks. This encouraged creators to craft longer, more thoughtful videos to keep audiences engaged for extended periods. And so, videos dissecting everything from the downfall of other content creators and influencers to the hidden themes in films skyrocketed.

A big contribution to the success of commentary and video essay channels is undoubtedly the balance between having actual content of substance and entertainment. Take Drew Gooden and Danny Gonzalez, who make their videos engaging through their dry, sardonic personality and sense of humour. It helps that they came from the old social media platform Vine so were already in the content creation sphere. Drew Gooden said to Vulture on his transition to YouTube after the death of Vine: “Everything I worked for was now gone, and I had to start again. It forced me to get out of my complacency … But then I found myself thinking, What do I like watching? And I liked watching people doing commentary videos and reacting to all the strange stuff on YouTube. So I started doing that, and after a while, I got better at it.”

Many commentary channels are also successful because of their reactionary style. When a situation emerges in the world of social media, commentary channels will make a video on it as soon as possible, more often than not, without all the details, and then update and make more videos as more information comes out. This style isn’t unique – it’s how news functions. For instance, in May 2019, James Charles, a 20-year-old makeup content creator, received several allegations from fellow makeup vlogger, Tati Westbrook. Tati’s video resulted in Charles, who at the time had around 15 million subscribers, losing over 3 million in less than 48 hours. Because of how many people knew James Charles as one of the biggest beauty YouTubers, people were going to be invested in this situation. Therefore, instead of waiting to see if any of the allegations had strong evidence, quite a few commentary channels seized the existing information, combed through videos featuring James, and created entire videos around those preliminary allegations. One channel (ImAllexx) made four videos focusing mainly on the scandal, and since the situation was volatile and unfolding before everyone’s eyes, videos on the matter were guaranteed to garner thousands of views. Thus, it’s not surprising that combined, these videos have 6.8 million views.

In many ways, YouTube commentary serves as a modern form of media studies — one that’s accessible to anyone with an internet connection

In a digital landscape flooded with misinformation and superficial takes, long-form video essays encourage critical thinking and deeper engagement with the media we consume. Even if they’re on a show that ended over 15 years ago, by breaking down techniques, analysing marketing strategies, or exploring contextual narratives, these creators help audiences develop a more nuanced understanding of the world around them. Look at the channel Mike’s Mic, who popularised the form of video essay where he would take a deep dive into a TV show under the title ‘An appropriately unhinged recap of …”. These videos would consider the most minute details of the show he chose to focus on and provide a nuanced take on the topic of his approximately 2-hour-long video. In many ways, YouTube commentary serves as a modern form of media studies — one that’s accessible to anyone with an internet connection.

Whether this era of YouTube commentary is a lasting shift or a temporary phenomenon, one thing is clear: as long as there’s something new to analyse, dissect, or poke fun at, the demand for long-form video essays isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The success of creators like Drew Gooden and Danny Gonzalez proves that audiences are not only willing but eager to engage with well-crafted, thought-provoking content.