No Stupid Questions

Many of the reaction posts are cut from a longer stream. So viewers have built one-way relationships with creators and thus "spend time" with them. The reactions were born out of that.

Because if you show the original video, thats copyright infringement, and pirating of content.

Show the "reaction", and it falls within fair use. Even if the reactor doesn't DO anything.

Laughing is a social thing that people don't normally do by themselves (unless it's really funny), so I''m guessing that having a human face on screen to "enjoy the content with" ups the level of engagement. Similar to laugh tracks in shitty sitcoms.

It's a way of stealing someone else's content and for some reason YouTube allows it. I close that slop immediately.

Billions of idiots. I have no other explanation.

Reaction videos just feel like a cheap way to profit on other people's content without getting flagged.

Unpopular thing to say but... I just don't understand watching other people gaming.

Note that I did not say "people who watch twitch are idiots".

Just that I personally don't get it, never will. I'm fine with that too, people do loads of things that I don't find at all appealing.

I agree it is generally pretty stupid and difficult to watch, however there are a few situations where it makes some sort of sense.

1. It is sometimes used as a way to get around certain copyright issues (probably not legally, but it sometimes confounds the horribly stupid copyright bots that major platforms use with lazy impunity)
2. Sometimes the person "reacting" is themselves entertaining to watch. These reaction videos are generally for pre-existing fans of that person, not for fans of the video being watched.
3. Sometimes the person reacting is adding genuine value, for example they might be a legitimate expert (or at least a self-believed one) on the topic the video is discussing. This is in some sense sort of a video review, or a fact-check.
4. It is pure algorithm-bait, not really intended for any actual human to deliberately enjoy, but it tricks the algorithm into showing it to people who are too low-effort to look up the real video and just watch it because it's in their "feed".

Usually it's some combination of the above.

Yeah I don't like them either.

You know that person reacting already watched it at least twice before putting on a show of exaggerated expressions.

It just seems dumb to me.

as I literally watch such a video

I'm there for the added layer of humor provided by the "reactor." Like GameGrumps. I am not watching them play games to see them play games; they actually kinda suck at most games and its frustrating seeing them unable to solve easy puzzles or win easy fights. But they are funny as fuck.

Ok. I'll throw myself on my sword and give a different take than what most people are.

I wasnt into reaction videos aka analysis vidoes at all until Kpop Demon Hunters came out. I really like this movie. I've even watched it several times, including once at the theater, which is very unusual for me.

I have a fairly isolated life. Not many friends and the few I do have I only see occasionally. So I don't have anyone I can gush about this movie to let alone rewatch it with or introduce it to.

Putting on a reaction video while walking the dogs lets me listen to someone else enjoying discovering the movie for the first time. Obviously I can't participate, but I've still shared their joy.

An alternate one is singers analyzing music videos. I watched someone going nut over a Beatbox video of Beatpella House, then saw their reaction video of VoicePlay covering Nothing Else Matters. Mindblowing rendition! I would never have found this without scrolling through their other videos. Sometimes being open to new things pays off.

Its affirmation therapy for insecure people. "Somebody likes the thing I like!"

It’s the easiest/laziest way to get a ton of views/engagement. Why bother doing the work of creating your own content when you can just steal other people’s videos and put your face in the corner “reacting” to it, then publish it as your own? Get enough subscribers/followers and views and you can start monetizing it.

I can understand that many people find reaction videos useless and low-effort content. Personally, I enjoy rewatching a lot of shows and it adds to my enjoyment doing so with somebody else. I have nobody in my life who is interested in that, so reaction videos work as a parasocial substitute. I can still see people I like (as little as I really know them) sharing the experience and sometimes having interestingly different reactions and observations.

BTW: For those who think reaction videos are a sensible way to not pay for the original content, may I introduce you to BitTorrent?

There is some content I am curious about but can only stomach when I watch it on a reaction channel so I don't die of second hand embarrassment. For other people I think it has a lot to do with feeling lonely. Reaction channels make you feel like you have someone to share the jokes with. I think way too many people are lonely nowadays.

I think it’s one of the most lazy ways to make a video, and leeching off more popular content.

They are not transforming the content enough to be free use.

As a counterpoint, I like watching The Charismatic Voice - a trained opera singer reacting to pop and rock music vocalists, often the first time hearing them, and offering a great analysis of their vocal techniques. That's a reaction video done right.

As an example, watching her react to John Farnham's performance of 'Help' reduces me to tears.

That's literally all Japanese shows. Sometimes they several reaction faces simultaneously.

I don't know but I'm thankful I don't see any of that shit pitched to me yet.

Idiots seem to determine what gets popular on YouTube and that happened to be one of them for a good while.

oh I have seen that!! and wondered the same. For anyone confused, it's (what I assume to be) somebody else's recording, with a head superimposed on it that chuckles every 10s or so

I’d say let’s start reaction to reaction videos, but Bo Burnham already covered that ground

Cannot stand reaction videos. We’re on the same page.