Time passes, they change. Above, a woman checks alarm clocks in a London clock factory in 1946.
Eric Harlow/Hulton Archives/Getty Images
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Eric Harlow/Hulton Archives/Getty Images
This week, as YouTuber Jenny Nicholson’s review/eulogy of the closed Disney Star Wars hotel began to make the rounds, I was curious. I had of course heard of the “immersive experience” officially called Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser, and here was someone who had actually lived the experience. But then I saw the length of the video – four hours and five minutes! – and I closed the tab faster than every time the algorithm wants to show me some idiot trying to pick up a cobra.
Who has the kind of time, I wondered, to sit and watch YouTube for half of their damn work day? In this, the era of TikTok? And the reels? And how is this, we have all been repeatedly assured, a period of diminishing attention spans?
In the case of Nicholson’s Starcruiser video, it turns out that millions and millions of people have the time. And she’s not the only one: Over the past few years, you may have noticed YouTube suggesting videos that are so long that they last. Laurence of Arabia seem downright impactful.
The Spectacular Failure of the Star Wars Hotel
Youtube
In my feed, most of them take the form of disturbing — and often critical — dives into various aspects of nerdy pop culture. “That internet D&D show we all loved sucks now, and here’s three hours of proof!” “That new movie everyone loves sucks, and here are 63 reasons why!” “Here’s a recap of the show no one but you and I watch, and the 43 glaring continuity errors it overlooked!”
It’s not difficult to understand why this happens. Nerds are going to be nerds, after all. We like what we like, and we’re ready to corner you at a party, maybe over some onion dip, and talk to you (OK: has you) about all our concerns on this matter. Of considerable length. (Well, yes, we TO DO notice that you are looking over our shoulders imploringly for someone, anyone, to save you; we don’t care, because the real interesting thing about Buffy The season 4 that most people overlook is…..) And of course, YouTube’s monetization model rewards every precious minute it spends with your delicious eyeballs. Passion + profit motive are a powerful motivator; these videos will keep coming.
Or, if you really believe in the marketplace of ideas, maybe it won’t. After all, most of these long-term grievance videos aren’t worth the time they require, and spending so many hours watching such sustained negativity leaves you feeling like you’re covered in some kind of psychic filth. , from a residue of greasy cynicism. I should note that Nicholson’s Starcruiser video is a glaring exception – it’s passionate, yes, but admirably lucid about that passion. She makes her arguments (her many, many, a lot points) with serenity and humor, and she has the literal receipts. She also doesn’t shy away from praising aspects of the experience that are worthy of praise, and smartly delves deeper into the issue of value for money.
But there is no denying that change is happening. TikTok itself – that online forge in which memes are forged and hammered – is launching longer videos, and Mr. Beast, arguably the quintessential YouTuber, has recently started releasing longer videos based on it, says it, from the request of viewers.
Now me? I’m so old that I remember thinking that a 13-minute clip was downright audacious. And I admit that I didn’t really do it watch the Starcruiser video I listened to while driving to and from town for a movie showing. But I watch several YouTube D&D live shows, which sometimes exceed the four hour mark. And in the beginning, I happily spent endless hours reading intelligent, well-written TV recaps that might as well have been novels. Is there a substantial difference?
But I choose to be encouraged by the rise of long-form video. Or more precisely: by people’s willingness to watch a single video for hours. This suggests that the quality of work continues to matter – after all, you still have to earn all those extra minutes of our attention. And in a culture so quick to blame a range of societal ills on diminishing attention spans, it offers a surprising and intriguing counter-narrative to pundits who cite audience data to dictate precisely how long a video should be. YouTube, a web article or a web article. the podcast episode “should” be.
It turns out the answer is not quantitative, but qualitative – not precise length, but personal value.
This piece also appeared on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter so you don’t miss the next one and receive weekly recommendations on what makes us happy.
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