[Last modified: October, 8 2024 07:23 PM]
Topic:
I am interested in the creation and consumption of long-form digital content on YouTube, specifically long-form video essays, deep dives, and nostalgia content. I have been a frequent user of YouTube for the past 10 years and, as such, have observed the changing trends of content presented on my homepage. Over the past two years, I have particularly been struck by the length of these videos, with many on my homepage ranging from 40 minutes to over 5 hours, as well as the concurrent nostalgic and retrospective elements of this content. This long-form content illustrates a departure from the short-form content that dominates platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and often YouTube, and provides the opportunity to shed light on a niche form of visual culture and its place in the wider digital landscape. Therefore, this research project aims to investigate this long-form digital content and the associated digital community to explore digital consumption habits, virtual community building, and themes such as nostalgia, digital memory, and information privilege.
Questions:
- What is the motivation of the creators and consumers of long-form YouTube content?
- Considering the length of this content, what are the digital habits of its consumers? What do viewers gain from this viewing experience?
- Is the length of this content informed by the creator or the consumer?
- What role do nostalgia and memory play in the creation and consumption of long-form retrospectives and nostalgia content?
- What role, if any, does information privilege and access play in the creation and consumption of long-form YouTube content?
Methods:
- Interviews: Semi-structured interviews will be conducted with long-form YouTube content creators and viewers to establish their motivations and digital consumption habits.
- Thematic analysis: I will analyze long-form YouTube content within this community. I will watch a range of videos categorized as long-form video essays and retrospectives to identify themes, patterns, and consistencies. Additionally, a comparative analysis will be carried out on the comment sections of these videos to identify viewer sentiment, discourse, and engagement.
- Participant observation: I will conduct participant observation within the community by creating a new YouTube profile that follows only accounts producing content within this niche. In addition, I will join the exclusive Patreons of selected individual creators to further immerse myself in the digital community and expand my network of participants.