why do i like reaction videos

The notable shift in our era of para-content is that the reader (reader as a broad term for the audience of a media artifact) has fully abdicated the horizon-making to the “contextualizer”. Contextualizers , such as reaction video creators or fan analysts, guide the process by highlighting specific elements, framing interpretations, and modeling... See more

the meaning of a text is not a fixed property inscribed by its creator but a dynamic creation that unfolds at the juncture of the text and its audience.

The notable shift in our era of para-content is that the audience has fully abdicated the horizon-making to the “contextualizer”.

The American economist Tyler Cowen often uses the refrain “Context is that which is scarce” to describe that while art, information and content may be abundant, understanding—the ability to situate that information within a meaningful context—remains a rare and valuable resource. Para-content thrives precisely because it claims to provide this... See more

There is more content about content than content itself. Streams of gameplay, reaction videos, reviews, analysis, etc. are all forms of para-content, or content about content.

The phenomenon is extremely popular in hip-hop where “reaction videos” to songs can help make or break the popularity of new singles. The reaction videos help the audience understand how the song should be received. The highly expressive YouTubers perform an emotional exegesis, punctuating and highlighting the high points and key bars of the song,... See more

The music-reaction-video helps the viewer reliably assess whether something is good or “mid” (see DJ Akademiks falling asleep to Certified Lover Boy), and which parts tend to generate the most hype, two highly valuable pieces of socio-cultural information.

Specifically, German literary theorist Hans Robert Jauss coined the term “Horizon of Expectation” (“Erwartungshorizont” in German) to describe the encounter between text and audience. In essence, this word refers to the framework through which an individual understands, interprets, and evaluates a text, relying on the cultural norms and standards... See more