Why are Youtube reaction videos gaining steam?

By Dominic DeHoratius on December 8, 2015

 

 

Youtube is by far my favorite social media/entertainment platform, ahead of the other classics (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc). I suppose this preference is due to my affinity for television, among other things. One thing I have noticed as I peruse the site is how many reaction videos are posted (on a daily basis no less).

Youtube reaction videos are essentially a person reacting in real time to any number of things. It appears that different reactors often tailor their Youtube accounts on particular themes/interests, but as time goes by, these reactors begin to branch out into other domains of entertainment. This will allow said reactors to attract more viewers and thus expand the audience.

For this article, I would like to focus on why might a Youtube viewer be inclined to subscribe to a reactor channel. Youtube is famous for it’s variety of channels, and some content (video game “let’s plays” and sketch comedy/song parodies) have cornered a market for themselves. Are reactor Youtube videos the next big thing? Let’s examine some possible reasons for why it will flourish, and why it might perish.

Reactor videos tap into our basic instinct to share and enjoy various forms of entertainment and media

What do we do when we see some epic new trailer for a movie almost everyone is excited to see? We text or talk with family & friends about why it looks so great, or maybe some concerns we have with it, and much more. So why would we care about what some random person on Youtube thinks about it? Here’s where it gets interesting.

Reactors often present themselves in a very unique way so as to distinguish themselves from other reactors. Just like for all other forms of media and entertainment, we become attached to certain individuals and begin to look for their reaction/opinion as if they were a friend from school or a coworker from work. In sum, it’s familiarity and how likeable the Youtube reactor is. It’s very much a mirror to the aforementioned family and friends interaction with respect to these things.

In fact, some reactors even start to give advice for other aspects of life like dating or how to deal with the loss of a loved one. These reactors are few and far between, yet they could be considered a jack-of-all-trades Youtuber (which might ultimately build one’s Youtube presence and fan base).

For almost all successful Youtube personalities, said individuals build a brand and form an image their audience comes to adore. The same goes for reactors, the only difference is the content of the videos and the motivations on the part of the audience (in relation to the content). With all of this said, it would seem that the “reactor-verse” is well on it’s way to carving out it’s own niche in the Youtube world. But why might it falter?

The reactor-verse is growing at a very high rate, and that ultimately might spell it’s demise

This issue is one that many reactors themselves are concerned about. An inundation of reaction videos could halt the growth of many channels, and the cream of the crop (the “best” reactors) might not progress much further. Many reactors have set a goal for themselves in relation to their subscriber count. Some have it at one million subscribers, while others have it as a sliding scale (let’s get to one hundred thousand subscribers and go from there), and still others might not have number in mind at all.

The question is, how many will ultimately survive? Another concern might be, will people continue to enjoy the content? Will reactions still be a “thing” so to speak? I would argue that the former concern is far more pressing than the latter. As I mentioned earlier, this seems to be a new way to satisfy a very basic modern human urge (modern in the sense of what we want to talk about), and I honestly don’t see that changing. But the question is, who will be there to satisfy this new digital craving?

Personally, I believe it is indeed the all-around reactors who will keep the Youtube dream alive. This isn’t to say that I don’t like the more specialized content of other reactors, but in the long run, I believe that’s who will be left standing. One of my favorite Youtube reactors, Tyrone Magnus, is most certainly going to be still around a year from now due to his personality and versatility when it comes to video content. Youtube personalities like him often have many doors opened to them due to online exposure, and our social media platforms (including Youtube) become launching pads into bigger and better things.

But no matter what happens to the reactor-verse, one thing is for sure. We may live in a very tech dominated world, but the desires and impulses that utilize said technology tap into something much more human and innate. We aren’t really changing, only adapting.

 

Sources:

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/digital-docs/tyrone-magnus-youtube-reactor-gets-watched-he-watches-videos-n392566

 

 

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