The creator behind the widely popular YouTube channel Casually Explained is in his early twenties and creates content by providing insightful commentary, witty story boarding and transitions, and entertaining deadpan humor through his uploads that revolve around a general topic that he chooses to explain in a casual demeanor: hence the channel name, Casually Explained.
Joining the video sharing platform in December 2015, James, the disembodied voice speaking to millions behind a camera is a professional artist and employs Microsoft Paint as his masterful canvas software. Additionally, he seeks out only the most pristine stock and creative common images to utilize as visuals throughout his uploads. The interesting appeal from a contextual standpoint is the variety of the topics he chooses to discuss on his channel. Videos range from covering broad interests such as personal travel, humor, fashion, and the stock market to discussing James’s own personal interests, reflected in his videos focusing on his brief “professional” StarCraft career, meme chronology and history, Elon Musk, and his multipart series likening evolution to update patches in video games.
Many of his videos are targeted to the age groups of high school and college students. Having been through both institutions recently, James articulates his conversational quips to appeal to this demographic by addressing subjects such as understanding the fear of missing out (FOMO), making new friends, moving out, dating, exercising, and completing group projects. And in doing so, James generates a virtual sense of relatability within his unique community of garnered viewers.
I cannot remember when I first stumbled upon one of his videos in my recommended feed, and I even questioned the algorithmic processes that led to YouTube listing a thumbnail drawn in Microsoft paint as something I would enjoy. But after viewing the channel’s “unique visual style”, depth of such arid comedic scripting, and the sporadic nature of video topics ranging from highly specific to encompassing general aspects of life, I was immediately intrigued and waited in anticipation for the next unknown upload that would be published in the upcoming month.
In an online ecosystem where one publishes content alongside more than two billion creators, exceedingly amounts of emphasis are placed on production quality and audience retention, James and his channel have continued to grow under such a simplistic concept that deviates from the norm. Casually Explained could even represent one of the first online media counter culture examples in returning to an era of individuality for online media influencers, during which talent stemmed from the authenticity of one’s ideas instead of over the top, engaging visuals and over hyped reactions to scenarios. We all know how to draw stick figures and we can easily do it in Microsoft Paint. Additionally, we can source images from Google, and we all have that stream of consciousness wrought with sarcasm, social awkwardness, and repressed emotions that can serve as the fundamental basis for deadpan, self-deprecating humor.
But only James was able to successfully create Casually Explained and begin a career of content creation by coupling these three intrinsic aspects into his descriptive, entertaining, and thoughtful monthly uploads.
Check out Casually Explained here and subscribe if you enjoy his content!
Here are my personal favorites by the creator (some of his videos do contain profanity, but he does not go out of his way to swear. It is more for comedic effect and depends on the situation):
It definitely seems like a fascinating channel! I haven’t been seriously watching videos on YouTube for a long time (I only really use it to watch SNL and listen to music), so I’m not aware of the changes that are taking place. Like you, I have noticed that many more popular forms of entertainment online come from larger corporations that are only in it to raise awareness for their products (many reaction channels are sponsored by such companies). I can’t imagine how difficult it is now for individual content creators to get their videos seen. Here’s to hoping that such people, like this channel, become more widely known.