Why People Watch YouTubers Study For Hours

Gongbang is a type of YouTube video in which people film themselves studying. These videos have become really popular, with some getting millions of views over time. People who create and watch these study videos say they do it to help them focus and ultimately pass their exams.

The Man Sitting Next To Me:
   / @nexttome  
TheStrive Studies:
   / @thestrivestudies  

Following is a transcript of the video:

Narrator: Why study alone, when you can study with a bunch of strangers from all over the world?

This is gongbang, which translates to "study broadcast" in Korean. In Japan, it's known as benkyou douga, and in the US and other parts of the world, it's simply called "study with me." It's a type of video in which people prepare for an exam on camera, while other people watch and study as well.

This might not sound like riveting entertainment, but these videos are racking up millions of views on YouTube. So why are they so popular? And is this just the latest example of lazy content creation, or is there something more going on here?

The Man Sitting Next to Me: When you're studying by yourself, you can feel alone. But they can reduce their loneliness by getting the sensation of studying with other people.

Narrator: This YouTuber goes by the name "The Man Sitting Next to Me." He prefers to remain anonymous. He lives in Korea and is studying to be a tax accountant. He livestreams himself studying for hours at a time and has over 20 thousand subscribers on his channel.

The Man Sitting Next to Me: It depends on my exam schedule, but, in general, I broadcast from 9 a.m to 12 a.m.

Narrator: His videos show him simply sitting at a desk taking notes or looking at a book.

Jamie Lee: You're studying for a long time whether it's for high school, college, or a professional degree. It can be really lonely, and it's always helpful to have sort of a study buddy.

Narrator: This is Jamie. She lives in New York and runs a YouTube channel called "The Strive to Fit." She started her channel when she was in medical school and continues to film herself studying while in residency. Unlike The Man Sitting Next to Me, Jamie's "study with me" videos are prerecorded. Her videos range from around 20 minutes to two-and-a-half hours in length, and some have over two million views.

She offers videos with music and some with the natural sounds of the pencil on paper as a sort of ASMR.

Jamie: I try to cater to different types of audiences. It'll just be kind of the natural sound of like, pen and paper or book sounds and things like that.

Narrator: With a quick YouTube search, you can find all sorts of different people and types of study videos to choose from. This study video trend is a lot like mukbang, which has become more popular in recent years. It involves people eating food, often a whole lot of it, on camera.

Looking at what's on YouTube these days, like ASMR, mukbang, and reaction videos, it would seem like you don't need a whole lot of special skills to be a success. But gongbang serves a real purpose, helping people focus. Or at least that's what the content creator and the fans are saying.

While it may seem distracting to watch YouTube while doing your work, they say it actually is a helpful way to avoid distractions.

The Man Sitting Next to Me: The first benefit my viewers can get is motivation. By watching other people studying, they can also get motivated to study hard. And for myself, by studying with all of you, I can prevent myself from getting lazy and continue to focus with my study.

Narrator: And based on some of the comments, this method seems to be working.

"I'm an engineering student, a week ago I wasn't motivated at all, then I found your channel. Thank you for saving me."

"I feel more concentrated on my exam preparation. Thank you Jamie for your video. It's actually very nice and helpful."

Jamie: It really helps them focus, because every time they're tempted to do something on their phone or go somewhere on their website, they kinda look up and see that I'm still studying on the screen, so it kind of motivates them to keep studying and stay focused on what they're supposed to be doing.

------------------------------------------------------

#YouTube #Study #INSIDER

INSIDER is great journalism about what passionate people actually want to know. That’s everything from news to food, celebrity to science, politics to sports and all the rest. It’s smart. It’s fearless. It’s fun. We push the boundaries of digital storytelling. Our mission is to inform and inspire.

Subscribe to our channel and visit us at: https://insder.co/2NCg6Sg
INSIDER on Facebook: https://insder.co/2NyYczE
INSIDER on Instagram: https://insder.co/2xN5qFB
INSIDER on Twitter: https://insder.co/2xyN5wE
INSIDER on Snapchat: https://insder.co/2KJLtVo

Why People Watch YouTubers Study For Hours