There is a pattern regarding which videos have been the most popular during the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. These fall into two categories: videos purely for entertainment, or educational videos. 

According to YouTube, the top ten highest trending videos in 2021, excluding three videos, were videos that were simply for entertainment. The top ten creators on YouTube, excluding Dhar Mann, were channels that post creative content. Most notably among these are Mr. Beast and CoryxKenshin. So what is the appeal?

The reason behind people’s interest in entertainment videos is anxiety and boredom. The pandemic has put a lot of activities on hold, creating a difficult environment to practice hobbies or even to interact with others inside safely. In order to cope with this, people turned to online videos in order to relieve their stress. 

A signifying change in mainstream entertainment includes the rise of crafting videos. This trend includes but is not limited to YouTube shorts on cooking, drawing, crafting, and design. Amy Lee ’23 said, “Watching these types of videos is fun because it allows you to relax, and I feel a sense of satisfaction when I watch them because these are all things that I can’t do at the present moment.”

Another trend shows there has been an increase in startup gaming channels increasing in popularity this year. These channels often feature gamers playing video games and interacting with one another online while talking to viewers in between. “It’s fun, because in a way, it feels like you’re the one playing the game, and I find this to be an enjoyable way to pass the time,” Kenneth Lee ’24 said.

While gaming has always been a popular genre of videos, the trend has exponentially increased under the Coronavirus pandemic. A particular gaming channel that grew immensely is the second channel created by the YouTube creator Carry Minati who has 34.6 million subscribers as of right now. His second gaming channel was YouTube’s fastest growing account in 2020 and it had an annual subscriber growth of 199.88 percent. 

Carmen Lin ’23 said, “it really does feel like I’m watching more and more videos that don’t really have a purpose to them. They are just fun to watch, and they make me laugh when I’m feeling stressed out from everything.”

These current trends regarding video popularity will not change, even as the pandemic eventually moves into an endemic state. Viewers have found a sense of security and entertainment in their lives through these videos, which will likely continue. “In a difficult time such as the present, I feel as if people have found a safe haven through watching videos online. This is why I think that, even after all of this is over, people will still watch this type of entertainment video,” said Nema Khan ’24. In unprecedented stressful times such as now, people are more thankful than ever that they have technology as a means of escaping reality, even for a few minutes.

“In a difficult time such as the present, I feel as if people have found a safe haven through watching videos online. This is why I think that, even after all of this is over, people will still watch this type of entertainment video,” said Nema Khan ’24