By Jessica Wang, Westy Wei and Benny Han 

 
Young people spend plenty of time navigating social media every day. People have plenty of forms of entertainment, such as chatting on Instagram, navigating TikTok, and watching videos on YouTube.  

 

We are curious to find out how regularly international students watch YouTube, the types of videos they are watching and recommendations they might have for others.  
 

Which Youtubers are you subscribed to and why?  

Kyeong Jun: Contemporary Christian music singers on ‘Moonlight Village TV’ to help me relax and pray, Theology and Christian apologist podcasts to learn how to communicate with others about Christianity and the Bible Project as a way to understand what the Bible is talking about.  

 
Ellie: I follow two types of YouTubers, cooks and some celebrities. I really love eating and watching these interesting videos, as they give me a sense of happiness and useful cooking skills.  

Shannen: I follow Korean make-up YouTubers to watch their make-up videos and daily vlogs. There is also a Korean boy group called, ‘Treasure’. I really love watching them, because I can see a lot of members sharing their daily lives, which is a beneficial thing for their fans. 

 
 
What do you expect from YouTube?  

Ellie: It can help me learn some cooking skills by watching some related videos. It can also bring me a lot of joy and satisfaction from watching things other than cooking videos such as travelling, study and sports.  

Shannen: I will watch different types of videos such as vlogs, beauty and cooking videos. From cooking videos, they teach me how to cook as I’m now living alone in Melbourne. They are a really good, convenient way to understand steps and learn some cooking skills.   

Ayumi: I like to go on YouTube to entertain myself and kill time. For this purpose, I click on videos at random, until I find one that interests me or watch a series of them. It’s time consuming, but so much fun to watch.   

Kyeong Jun: I watch YouTube to relax, pray and expect good quality from the music and the videos. Also, I want to study apologetics and theology videos to learn how to communicate with others about Christianity with expertise on interesting and deep topics. At the same time, I can also learn about the Bible while expanding on great, various contents and expertise.   

  

 
Do you look for clips from TV shows to watch on YouTube? Why and what would lead you to watch them?  

Ellie: Yes, 100%. I always search for clips from TV shows on YouTube, as some shows cannot be watched in my country. It is very convenient for me to watch variety shows on YouTube, such as those from Korea and China like ‘Running Man’. 

Shannen: I sometimes watch clips from Korean dramas or TV shows which can be so long. I go on YouTube and search for these clips to view instead of watching the entire show, looking for some important, standout or interesting clips.   

Ayumi: I only watch shows that my friends recommend to me. Recently, my friend recommended that I watch ‘Dating Class’ on YouTube because it was difficult to find on YouTube before.  

 
What are your YouTube recommendations for our readers to view?  

Ellie: The channel I most recommend is ‘Run BTS’, because I can watch the most interesting videos as well as observe the tacit understanding between each member and get the feeling of a variety show.  

Gene: I would recommend the ‘Gawr Gura’. This channel provides some knowledge on games, and it really helps to improve my English skills. 

Shannen: I think it depends on what people are interested in. I would highly recommend watching therapeutic, calming, and relaxing videos like ASMR and travel vlogs. Take the time to enjoy life.  

Ayumi: I would recommend the ‘anonymousmusic5555’ music channel because this channel has many J-pop songs that are translated into English.  

Kyeong Jun: My suggestion would be ‘The Bible Project’, because their videos are of good quality and people can learn about the bible. 
 

Whether you’re enjoying yourself or feel bored, let’s watch some together!