Unboxing Videos: Rock Bottom?
erco
Posts: 20,254
Now I'm sure there are many people who consider my Youtube channel junk: nothing but robot and kid vids. But a few people seem to have similar interests, so I continue my mad quest for world domination through video updates of my latest exploits.
But more and more, I see "unboxing" videos. People reverently opening boxes and taking the product out, savoring each tie wrap and romancing the jewel-like quality of each Styrofoam insert. Wearing gloves. Seriously. Some of them are for outlandishly rare or expensive items that mortal men can't afford, but most are for phones and watches. Whatever's new, I suppose. Apparently there's an irrepressible "first on my block" gene that forces some people (bloggers?) to show off their latest item, obtained by camping out in a line at Best Buy for 32 hours.
Here are 10 minutes unboxing a DVD. Including the mailing envelope, woo-hoo! The reviewer doesn't even sound excited. And no, you'll never get those 10 minutes back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG6NofuUJb8
Other than watching an occasional pretty girl (now what was she unboxing?), I really don't understand why anyone would watch these. Have we bottomed out? Isn't that Youtube server space better used for something else?
If I'm wrong, just tell me. I'll start a whole new channel, nothing but unboxing vids of latching relays and cheap Chinese H-bridges.
But more and more, I see "unboxing" videos. People reverently opening boxes and taking the product out, savoring each tie wrap and romancing the jewel-like quality of each Styrofoam insert. Wearing gloves. Seriously. Some of them are for outlandishly rare or expensive items that mortal men can't afford, but most are for phones and watches. Whatever's new, I suppose. Apparently there's an irrepressible "first on my block" gene that forces some people (bloggers?) to show off their latest item, obtained by camping out in a line at Best Buy for 32 hours.
Here are 10 minutes unboxing a DVD. Including the mailing envelope, woo-hoo! The reviewer doesn't even sound excited. And no, you'll never get those 10 minutes back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aG6NofuUJb8
Other than watching an occasional pretty girl (now what was she unboxing?), I really don't understand why anyone would watch these. Have we bottomed out? Isn't that Youtube server space better used for something else?
If I'm wrong, just tell me. I'll start a whole new channel, nothing but unboxing vids of latching relays and cheap Chinese H-bridges.
Comments
-Tor
I did find some that had useful information but they are rare.
I wonder how many quadrillion, zillion terabytes of youtube videos are out there?!?!?!?
Maybe I'll buy some project boxes from Jameco or Digikey and then I can make a Box unboxing video...
I can't wait to see the sequel.
There are YouTubers that see unboxing videos and think, "I could do that!" but they don't understand why there are popular channels and popular presenters. I imagine for every one good video, there are 200 bad ones.
Here's an example of an engaging presenter: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+jontron
I'm not sure if he's done unboxing videos, but there's probably some in there along with his other reviews. Many of his vids have >3 million views each, so you can see why a wannabe YouTuber might see these and think they could do the same. That's why there's so much Smile on YouTube. (Of course your vids are great, because you're not trying to be anything you aren't, or rack of views just to make money.)
You mean like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkksRloH8_0
- Unwrapping a candy bar. ("Now let's have a look at this...it comes in a shiny wrapper, with this clever area folded over on the back...")
- Opening up a box that is full...of packing peanuts. ("Ooooh! Look at this one! It's just a bit different than the last 37!")
Okay, I guess with 38,900,000 hits, it qualifies as a thing. Who knew?
I think someone should take a video of a boxing match (preferably a short one with a KO in the first round), reverse the frame sequence so it runs backwards, and post it to YouTube as "unboxing."
-Phil
LIKE. A top contender would be the infamous "Phantom Punch" of 1965's Sonny Liston/Cassius Clay fight. Jump to 4:00.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw8PqhMG5QE
Wow, you really are an optimist Gordon. I'd say you're off by at least an order of magnitude, possibly even two orders.
Tesla coil?
erco,
I think it would be much more entertaining if someone started a "boxing" channel. No, not the "ultimate fighting # 1,368,612" contests, a channel demonstrating how to (or how not to) get an item back into its original packaging.
I've rarely been successful at this... usually the packaging is destroyed during the unboxing. And if the item was packed with Styrofoam, the room tends to be filled with millions of balls of statically-charged foam.
Walter
This is the only reason I can see for such things as "unboxing videos". It can be useful to know how well a product has been shipped. I've received some electronics in business envelopes with no padding. Needless to say not all items arrived safely.
I always wanted to build my own particle accelerator. Or is this a different type of cascade generator?
Anyway, please do make a video of it being unboxed, connected to a battery, and shocking the eyeballs out of anyone nearby!
No, you've got it exactly right.
I do take pains to make sure no one could possibly be shocked. Indeed, a single spark would be a sign of failure of some sort. So far that has never happened. Even corona gets lots of attention (and potting compound). The Z-Machine it isn't.
http://www.sandia.gov/media/images/jpg/Z02.jpg
For example, in Chinese restaurants, you can often order fake food, like whole roasted piglet, which is not edible, but serves as table decoration, and to show others, how "rich" you are.
Furthermore, being fat in china is considered not as disease, but as fact of being solid citizen.
And also, chinese shops and sellers PAY to western reviewers for doing such reviews, or they provide good for free for reviews. Just go register at chinabuye, gearsbest, lightinthebox or whatever, buy something for $1 even, write on their site a short review, and shortly you will be contacted by shop, offering you some goods for free, in exchange for "in depth review", where unboxing takes about 40% of time.
There are things I'd consider buying but I can't see one in a shop anywhere and I don't know anyone who has one. That leaves reviews around the net and, yes, unboxing vids.
So we need at least one unboxing vid for every product that it is possible to order online!
Sadly many of them are just very crappy.
Who's got 4-1/2 hours of data on their cell phone to watch this dash cam of driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas? 65 MPH is occasionally quite thrilling.