Specifically, reactions to consumable media like videos, games, or music. And it needs to be real, like, from some nobody with a webcam pointed at them in their bedroom, not that sterile reality TV tier content mill trash.
There is a dirth of really low quality trash in this genre. It has a well-earned abysmal reputation for being low effort, non-transformative, and all too often not even remotely entertaining. I’m never proud to go looking for it. Frankly I’m more embarrassed about my YouTube search history than my Gelbooru search history.
But even so, watching a recording of someone experiencing something I love for the first time… it’s like, the closest thing you can ever get to experiencing it for the first time again yourself. It’s a piss-poor substitute, but it’s a substitute. If I’m lucky, sometimes they might even give me a new perspective on something due to the unique way they perceive it. If, of course, they bother to actually give insightful commentary at all, which is itself fleetingly rare.
Processing all this trash just to chase a phantom of that feeling, I feel like it’s the YouTube version of huffing paint cans for a high or drinking antifreeze for the buzz.
I know there are some reaction channels that actively give insight on what they are reacting to and pausing and breaking things down as they watch. Scru Face Jean is one of those, and while I don’t really know much or care about rap and rap culture, he has been a great watch on his rap battle reactions.
Not really a show, per se, but
Reaction videos.
Specifically, reactions to consumable media like videos, games, or music. And it needs to be real, like, from some nobody with a webcam pointed at them in their bedroom, not that sterile reality TV tier content mill trash.
There is a dirth of really low quality trash in this genre. It has a well-earned abysmal reputation for being low effort, non-transformative, and all too often not even remotely entertaining. I’m never proud to go looking for it. Frankly I’m more embarrassed about my YouTube search history than my Gelbooru search history.
But even so, watching a recording of someone experiencing something I love for the first time… it’s like, the closest thing you can ever get to experiencing it for the first time again yourself. It’s a piss-poor substitute, but it’s a substitute. If I’m lucky, sometimes they might even give me a new perspective on something due to the unique way they perceive it. If, of course, they bother to actually give insightful commentary at all, which is itself fleetingly rare.
Processing all this trash just to chase a phantom of that feeling, I feel like it’s the YouTube version of huffing paint cans for a high or drinking antifreeze for the buzz.
Reaction videos are equivalent to the black stuff under your fingernails
I know there are some reaction channels that actively give insight on what they are reacting to and pausing and breaking things down as they watch. Scru Face Jean is one of those, and while I don’t really know much or care about rap and rap culture, he has been a great watch on his rap battle reactions.